Association Between Domestic Violence and Sexual Dysfunction in Women on Infertility Treatment in Turkey

Abstract

Infertility is a global problem that closely concerns people of reproductive age. Infertility has many negative effects on the lives of individuals, especially women who are more exposed to violence. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the perceptions of domestic violence against women and the sexual functions of women who apply to a clinic for fertility treatment. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 150 infertile women who applied to the clinic of a university hospital in northern Turkey between August 2018 and February 2019. The data were collected face-to-face using the descriptive information form, the Female Sexual Function Index and domestic-violence-against-women forms. The frequency, percentage, Pearson’s product–moment correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, the Mann Whitney U test, and Cronbach’s alpha methods were used in the analysis of the data. It was found that 54 per cent of the participants had a high school or higher education, 62 per cent of the participants did not work in an income-generating job, the participants were married for an average of 6.08 ± 3.99 years, and the mean age of the participants was 30.69 ± 6.13. The mean score of the domestic violence scale was 65.79 ± 11.16, and the mean score of the sexual function index was determined as 25.24 ± 5.47. Correlation values between domestic violence and sexual function index scores were found to be inversely significant (p < 0.05). The research indicates that infertile women who are exposed to violence experience more sexual dysfunction. It also indicates that women who are not satisfied with their sex life are more exposed to sexual violence.