The Influence of Health Related Quality of Life on Sexual Desire in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury from Colombia, South America

Much research has been conducted on sexuality in individuals with disabilities, but there is a dearth of research on sexuality after spinal cord injury (SCI), especially in regions like Latin America. This study compared the sexual desire of individuals with SCI from Neiva, Colombia to an able-bodied control group and examined the relationship between health related quality of life (HRQOL) and sexual desire in the two participant groups. Forty individuals with SCI were recruited from the Foundation for the Integral Development of People with Disabilities in Neiva, Colombia, and 42 controls were recruited from the same community (N = 82). Participants completed the Sexual Desire Inventory and the Short Form-36, which measures eight domains of HRQOL. No differences emerged in sexual desire between the two groups, although a series of multiple regressions found that for individuals with SCI, physical functioning was associated with solitary and dyadic sexual desire, and pain was associated with dyadic sexual desire. For controls, energy was associated with solitary and dyadic sexual desire, and physical functioning was associated with solitary sexual desire. Despite the stereotype that sexuality is reserved for able-bodied individuals, these findings show that sexuality is just as important to individuals with SCI and should be addressed in SCI rehabilitation. Interventions designed to help individuals with SCI cope with decreased physical functioning and pain may be an important component of SCI sexuality interventions in Latin America.