Sexuality of schizophrenic women in Tunisia: Case-control study

Despite its negative impact on patients' quality of life and their adherence to treatment, the sexuality of schizophrenic women has rarely been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in schizophrenic women, compared to a control group and to determine the links between sexual dysfunction and clinical severity of schizophrenia. We conducted a case-control study. The assessment of the clinical severity of schizophrenia was made by the PANSS, that of sexuality by the FSFI scale. All of the surveyed patients reported that their physicians never discussed the subject of sexuality and did not inform them of the possibility of sexual side effects associated with antipsychotic treatment. Yet, the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in our series was 81.3%. Sexual desire was the most frequently dysfunctional dimension in our sample. The occurrence of female sexual dysfunction was significantly correlated with higher mean scores at PANSS. Compared to controls, patients in our series had significantly more sexual dysfunction. Our study shows that sexual dysfunction is very common among schizophrenic women and strongly related to the clinical severity of schizophrenia. Careful assessment of sexual function and sexual education as part of rehabilitation programs will help these patients to live a more satisfying sexuality. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.