Abstract
Background
Sexual assertiveness is one of the main issues in sexual relationship between couples. Since substance dependence might disrupt this relationship the present study was designed and conducted to assess and compare sexual assertiveness in women with and without substance-dependent husbands
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study. The Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness (HISA) was used. The data then were compared between women with and without substance-dependent husbands.
Results
In all 300 women with and without substance-dependent husbands entered into the study. The mean age of the women was 37.31±8.79 and 32.70±7.24 years, and the mean duration of their marriage was 15.92±9.40 and 12.08±8.92 years, respectively. The majority of women with substance-dependent husbands had primary education (40.3%) and the majority of those with non-substance-dependent husbands had higher (37.3%). The mean score of sexual assertiveness was 50.66±14.31 in the women with substance-dependent husbands and 58.42±13.86 in those with non-substance-dependent husbands (P<0.001).
Conclusions
The risk of lower assertiveness for women with substance-dependent husbands was 2.2 times more than women with non-substance-dependent husbands. The husband’s substance dependency is therefore an issue that is worthy of attention in sexual and marital counseling. Sexual assertiveness can be improved in women with substance-dependent husbands through the implementation of appropriate interventions, such as educational and counseling programs.
Sexual assertiveness in women with and without substance-dependent husbands: A comparative study