Sexual fantasies, subjective satisfaction and quality of sexual life in patients of sexual dysfunction: A comparative study

INTRODUCTION: Exploring the ways in which sexual fantasies may affect sexual experience and satisfaction is of relavence in the clinical setting involving sexual dysfuntion. OBJECTIVES: To observe how the sexual fantasy scores differ in their relationship with sexual satisfaction, experience and quality between sexual dysfunction cases and normal controls. METHODS: Scales included: Wilson’s sex fantasy questionnaire (WSFQ), Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), Sexual Quality of life Questionnaire (SQoL), and a subjective sexual satisfaction meter. Differences in resposes of both groups on WSFQ (item-wise and domain-wise) were analysed using T-tests. Two-way ANOVA was applied to see how other scales affected sexual fantasy. RESULTS: Cases scored significantly higher on ASEX scale, and low on satisfaction, SQoL and WSFQ [Table: see text] Majority of WSFQ responses, both in cases and controls, fell in the intimate and impersonal domains. Sexual fantasy scores and sexual satisfaction had a strong positive and significant correlation in controls but no linear correlation in the case-subjects. sexual fantasy scores contributed to 5.7% of difference in the scores of SQoL between groups. Major variance in scores of satisfaction in our subjects depended on presence or absence of sexual dysfunction(46.5%)but sexual fantasies also contributed to 8.8% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that fantasies contribute to positive sexual outcomes only in absence of sexual dysfunction. ANOVAanalysis revealed that in case-subjects sexual satisfaction briefly increases initially with increase in fantasy scores but starts to decline as fantasies increase. DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships.