Factors associated with lacking interest in having sex for at least 3 months in the past year in sexually active men and women
| Men | Women | p Value for interaction with sex* | |||||||||||
| Denom. (unwt, wt) | % | (95% CI) | Age-adjusted OR | (95% CI) | p Value | Denom. (unwt, wt) | % | (95% CI) | Age-adjusted OR | (95% CI) | p Value | ||
| All | 4839, 5973 | 15.0 | (13.9 to 16.2) | 6669, 5755 | 34.2 | (32.8 to 35.5) | |||||||
| Sociodemographics | |||||||||||||
| Age group (years) | 0.0471 | <0.0001 | 0.6733 | ||||||||||
| 16–24 | 1279, 936 | 11.5 | (9.4 to 14.0) | 1 | − | 1662, 923 | 24.8 | (22.5 to 27.1) | 1 | − | |||
| 25–34 | 1376, 1238 | 14.6 | (12.7 to 16.6) | 1.32 | (1.00 to 1.73) | 2236, 1246 | 31.9 | (29.8 to 34.1) | 1.42 | (1.22 to 1.66) | |||
| 35–44 | 719, 1298 | 17.2 | (14.5 to 20.4) | 1.61 | (1.19 to 2.18) | 1050, 1290 | 36.8 | (33.7 to 40.1) | 1.77 | (1.48 to 2.13) | |||
| 45–54 | 630, 1186 | 15.3 | (12.5 to 18.7) | 1.40 | (1.01 to 1.95) | 871, 1186 | 37.9 | (34.5 to 41.5) | 1.86 | (1.53 to 2.25) | |||
| 55–64 | 512, 849 | 16.5 | (13.4 to 20.2) | 1.53 | (1.10 to 2.13) | 569, 755 | 38.8 | (34.5 to 43.2) | 1.92 | (1.55 to 2.39) | |||
| 65–74 | 323, 467 | 13.9 | (10.4 to 18.3) | 1.22 | (0.81 to 1.82) | 281, 355 | 34.2 | (28.4 to 40.5) | 1.58 | (1.18 to 2.12) | |||
| Index of Multiple Deprivation (quintiles)† | 0.093 | 0.0316 | 0.0111 | ||||||||||
| 1 (least deprived) | 977, 1279 | 13.9 | (11.6 to 16.6) | 1 | – | 1248, 1208 | 35.7 | (32.6 to 38.9) | 1 | − | |||
| 2 | 962, 1264 | 13.0 | (10.8 to 15.6) | 0.93 | (0.69 to 1.25) | 1290, 1208 | 33.6 | (30.6 to 36.7) | 0.92 | (0.76 to 1.13) | |||
| 3 | 942, 1169 | 18.0 | (15.2 to 21.2) | 1.38 | (1.04 to 1.85) | 1299, 1116 | 30.1 | (27.2 to 33.2) | 0.81 | (0.66 to 0.99) | |||
| 4 | 967, 1184 | 15.3 | (12.8 to 18.3) | 1.15 | (0.86 to 1.55) | 1384, 1137 | 35.9 | (33.0 to 39.0) | 1.08 | (0.89 to 1.30) | |||
| 5 (most deprived) | 991, 1077 | 15.1 | (12.7 to 17.8) | 1.14 | (0.85 to 1.52) | 1448, 1086 | 35.3 | (32.4 to 38.3) | 1.06 | (0.87 to 1.28) | |||
| Education level‡ | 0.0083 | 0.2453 | 0.2914 | ||||||||||
| Left school aged 17+ | 2862, 3464 | 13.5 | (12.1 to 15.1) | 1 | − | 4150, 3406 | 32.7 | (31.0 to 34.5) | 1 | − | |||
| Left school at 16 | 1873, 2437 | 17.2 | (15.3 to 19.4) | 1.31 | (1.07 to 1.60) | 2409, 2287 | 36.6 | (34.4 to 38.9) | 1.08 | (0.95 to 1.23) | |||
| Employment status | 0.0086 | 0.0003 | 0.0766 | ||||||||||
| Employed | 3211, 4254 | 14.7 | (13.3 to 16.1) | 1 | − | 3871, 3517 | 34.6 | (32.9 to 36.4) | 1 | − | |||
| Full-time education | 542, 431 | 12.6 | (8.8 to 17.5) | 0.98 | (0.64 to 1.51) | 693, 423 | 22.5 | (19.0 to 26.4) | 0.70 | (0.55 to 0.89) | |||
| Unemployed | 707, 723 | 19.6 | (16.3 to 23.4) | 1.44 | (1.12 to 1.86) | 1681, 1282 | 36.1 | (33.4 to 39.0) | 1.11 | (0.96 to 1.28) | |||
| Retired | 375, 562 | 13.6 | (10.4 to 17.7) | 0.75 | (0.52 to 1.09) | 415, 524 | 35.8 | (31.0 to 40.9) | 0.75 | (0.57 to 0.99) | |||
| Practises religion at least once a month | 0.1687 | 0.0082 | 0.9966 | ||||||||||
| No | 4283, 5179 | 15.3 | (14.1 to 16.6) | 1 | − | 5659, 4754 | 34.8 | (33.3 to 36.3) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 521, 748 | 12.9 | (10.0 to 16.4) | 0.81 | (0.60 to 1.09) | 956, 945 | 30.7 | (27.5 to 34.2) | 0.79 | (0.67 to 0.94) | |||
| Health | |||||||||||||
| Self-reported general health | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.1890 | ||||||||||
| Very good/good | 4123, 5055 | 13.4 | (12.2 to 14.6) | 1 | − | 5683, 4851 | 32.3 | (30.9 to 33.8) | 1 | − | |||
| Fair | 580, 745 | 21.9 | (18.3 to 25.8) | 1.8 | (1.41 to 2.30) | 780, 709 | 42.2 | (38.2 to 46.3) | 1.45 | (1.21 to 1.75) | |||
| Bad/very bad | 135, 171 | 33.9 | (25.3 to 43.6) | 3.29 | (2.14 to 5.06) | 206, 195 | 49.9 | (42.2 to 57.7) | 1.93 | (1.40 to 2.67) | |||
| Difficulty walking up stairs because of a health problem | <0.0001 | 0.0497 | 0.1179 | ||||||||||
| No difficulty | 4475, 5460 | 14.1 | (12.9 to 15.3) | 1 | − | 6062, 5107 | 33.3 | (31.8 to 34.7) | 1 | − | |||
| Some difficulty | 278, 393 | 23.0 | (18.1 to 28.8) | 1.8 | (1.30 to 2.49) | 450, 482 | 39.2 | (34.4 to 44.2) | 1.15 | (0.92 to 1.43) | |||
| Much difficulty/unable to do this | 86, 120 | 30.9 | (20.9 to 43.0) | 2.68 | (1.57 to 4.57) | 157, 166 | 47.0 | (38.0 to 56.1) | 1.55 | (1.06 to 2.25) | |||
| Long-standing illness or disability | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.1348 | ||||||||||
| No | 3585, 4259 | 12.8 | (11.6 to 14.2) | 1 | − | 4843, 4026 | 31.6 | (30.0 to 33.2) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 1253, 1713 | 20.5 | (18.1 to 23.1) | 1.76 | (1.44 to 2.16) | 1825, 1729 | 40.1 | (37.5 to 42.8) | 1.35 | (1.17 to 1.55) | |||
| Number of comorbid conditions§ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.7951 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 3453, 3994 | 12.8 | (11.5 to 14.1) | 1 | − | 4357, 3536 | 29.9 | (28.2 to 31.5) | 1 | − | |||
| 1 | 939, 1329 | 18.9 | (16.2 to 21.9) | 1.64 | (1.30 to 2.06) | 1555, 1416 | 38.6 | (35.9 to 41.5) | 1.42 | (1.23 to 1.64) | |||
| ≥2 | 446, 650 | 21.0 | (17.0 to 25.6) | 1.91 | (1.41 to 2.60) | 755, 802 | 45.1 | (41.2 to 49.1) | 1.75 | (1.45 to 2.13) | |||
| Depressive symptoms¶ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.6249 | ||||||||||
| No | 4383, 5471 | 13.5 | (12.4 to 14.8) | 1 | − | 5885, 5149 | 31.7 | (30.2 to 33.1) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 449, 495 | 31.3 | (26.4 to 36.7) | 2.95 | (2.26 to 3.85) | 780, 602 | 55.2 | (51.0 to 59.5) | 2.79 | (2.32 to 3.37) | |||
| Treated for depression, past year | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.2447 | ||||||||||
| No | 4524, 5630 | 14.0 | (12.9 to 15.2) | 1 | − | 5770, 5040 | 31.7 | (30.2 to 33.2) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 313, 342 | 31.5 | (25.7 to 38.0) | 2.82 | (2.08 to 3.83) | 897, 713 | 51.4 | (47.6 to 55.2) | 2.32 | (1.96 to 2.75) | |||
| Menopausal status | 0.9326 | ||||||||||||
| Not menopausal | 5485, 4187 | 32.3 | (30.9 to 33.8) | 1 | − | ||||||||
| Menopausal | 1167, 1548 | 38.9 | (36.0 to 41.9) | 0.99 | (0.79 to 1.24) | ||||||||
| Circumcised | 0.5951 | ||||||||||||
| No | 3909, 4728 | 15.1 | (13.8 to 16.4) | 1 | − | ||||||||
| Yes | 857, 1166 | 14.5 | (12.0 to 17.4) | 0.94 | (0.73 to 1.20) | ||||||||
| Sexual behaviour | |||||||||||||
| Number of occasions of sex, past four weeks | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.4778 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 1013, 1163 | 20.7 | (17.8 to 23.8) | 1 | − | 1408, 1245 | 42.9 | (39.9 to 45.9) | 1 | − | |||
| 1–2 | 1160, 1566 | 18.7 | (16.2 to 21.5) | 0.89 | (0.69 to 1.14) | 1481, 1373 | 39.6 | (36.7 to 42.5) | 0.89 | (0.75 to 1.05) | |||
| 3–4 | 870, 1168 | 12.4 | (10.1 to 15.1) | 0.54 | (0.41 to 0.73) | 1240, 1130 | 33.8 | (30.7 to 37.0) | 0.7 | (0.58 to 0.85) | |||
| 5+ | 1617, 1869 | 9.2 | (7.8 to 11.0) | 0.39 | (0.30 to 0.51) | 2078, 1655 | 22.6 | (20.5 to 24.8) | 0.41 | (0.34 to 0.49) | |||
| Masturbation, past four weeks | 0.0458 | 0.0038 | 0.0005 | ||||||||||
| No | 1297, 1828 | 13.7 | (11.8 to 15.8) | 1 | − | 4032, 3612 | 36.0 | (34.3 to 37.7) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 3531, 4132 | 15.6 | (14.2 to 17.0) | 1.24 | (1.00 to 1.52) | 2615, 2114 | 30.8 | (28.7 to 33.0) | 0.83 | (0.73 to 0.94) | |||
| Number of sexual partners, past year** | 0.5348 | 0.0038 | 0.0183 | ||||||||||
| 1 | 3573, 4824 | 15.0 | (13.7 to 16.3) | 1 | − | 5440, 5012 | 35.3 | (33.8 to 36.8) | 1 | − | |||
| 2 | 539, 513 | 16.2 | (12.9 to 20.3) | 1.14 | (0.86 to 1.52) | 570, 364 | 28.2 | (23.9 to 32.8) | 0.80 | (0.63 to 1.01) | |||
| 3+ | 718, 627 | 13.6 | (11.1 to 16.6) | 0.94 | (0.72 to 1.22) | 642, 366 | 24.8 | (21.0 to 29.0) | 0.70 | (0.56 to 0.88) | |||
| Paid for sex, past year | 0.7167 | ||||||||||||
| No | 4774, 5896 | 15.0 | (13.9 to 16.2) | 1 | − | ||||||||
| Yes | 64, 75 | 13.4 | (6.8 to 24.7) | 0.87 | (0.41 to 1.84) | ||||||||
| Ever taken drugs to assist sexual performance | 0.0175 | 0.0666 | 0.8967 | ||||||||||
| No | 4188, 5180 | 14.4 | (13.2 to 15.7) | 1 | − | 6478, 5624 | 34.0 | (32.6 to 35.4) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 636, 776 | 19.0 | (15.7 to 22.8) | 1.36 | (1.06 to 1.76) | 184, 124 | 40.0 | (32.0 to 48.5) | 1.39 | (0.98 to 1.96) | |||
| Relationship context | |||||||||||||
| Relationship status | 0.0383 | <0.0001 | 0.0001 | ||||||||||
| Living with partner | 2708, 4266 | 15.5 | (14.1 to 17.1) | 1 | − | 3967, 4168 | 37.9 | (36.3 to 39.7) | 1 | − | |||
| In a steady relationship, not living together | 947, 760 | 12.0 | (9.6 to 14.8) | 0.76 | (0.57 to 1.00) | 1360, 790 | 22.6 | (20.2 to 25.2) | 0.51 | (0.43 to 0.60) | |||
| Not in a steady relationship, but previously cohabited | 446, 388 | 18.2 | (14.6 to 22.5) | 1.22 | (0.91 to 1.62) | 752, 462 | 28.9 | (25.4 to 32.8) | 0.68 | (0.56 to 0.83) | |||
| Not in a steady relationship, never cohabited | 727, 551 | 12.4 | (9.9 to 15.5) | 0.8 | (0.58 to 1.09) | 580, 330 | 21.3 | (17.6 to 25.5) | 0.49 | (0.38 to 0.63) | |||
| Duration of most recent sexual relationship (years) | 0.494 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | ||||||||||
| ≤1 | 1462, 1260 | 13.0 | (11.0 to 15.3) | 1 | − | 1597, 998 | 21.5 | (19.1 to 24.1) | 1 | − | |||
| Between 1 and 5 | 1247, 1227 | 15.3 | (13.2 to 17.7) | 1.21 | (0.94 to 1.55) | 1758, 1148 | 28.5 | (26.1 to 31.0) | 1.45 | (1.20 to 1.76) | |||
| Between 5 and 15 | 1065, 1484 | 14.9 | (12.6 to 17.5) | 1.14 | (0.86 to 1.50) | 1774, 1458 | 39.8 | (37.2 to 42.4) | 2.37 | (1.96 to 2.86) | |||
| >15 | 1004, 1904 | 16.1 | (13.9 to 18.7) | 1.19 | (0.87 to 1.63) | 1445, 2036 | 40.0 | (37.3 to 42.7) | 2.31 | (1.84 to 2.91) | |||
| Always easy to talk about sex with partners†† | 0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.0182 | ||||||||||
| Yes | 1695, 1899 | 11.5 | (9.7 to 13.5) | 1 | − | 1746, 1451 | 22.6 | (20.4 to 25.1) | 1 | − | |||
| No/other | 3122, 4048 | 16.7 | (15.3 to 18.2) | 1.53 | (1.23 to 1.90) | 4907, 4289 | 38.0 | (36.4 to 39.6) | 2.06 | (1.77 to 2.39) | |||
| Happy with relationship‡‡ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.8679 | ||||||||||
| Yes | 1951, 2791 | 12.6 | (11.0 to 14.4) | 1 | − | 2736, 2601 | 31.5 | (29.5 to 33.6) | 1 | − | |||
| Other | 995, 1430 | 21.0 | (18.4 to 23.9) | 1.85 | (1.47 to 2.32) | 1640, 1617 | 45.4 | (42.7 to 48.1) | 1.79 | (1.55 to 2.08) | |||
| Participant does not share same level of interest in sex as partner | 0.2339 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | ||||||||||
| No/other | 2270, 3233 | 15.0 | (13.4 to 16.7) | 1 | − | 3211, 3064 | 27.2 | (25.4 to 29.0) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 676, 988 | 17.1 | (14.2 to 20.4) | 1.17 | (0.90 to 1.51) | 1166, 1155 | 62.5 | (59.2 to 65.7) | 4.57 | (3.87 to 5.38) | |||
| Participant does not share same sexual likes and dislikes as partner | 0.4188 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | ||||||||||
| No/other | 2650, 3803 | 15.3 | (13.8 to 16.9) | 1 | − | 4079, 3908 | 34.9 | (33.3 to 36.6) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 296, 418 | 17.3 | (13.0 to 22.5) | 1.16 | (0.81 to 1.66) | 297, 310 | 61.0 | (54.6 to 67.2) | 2.91 | (2.22 to 3.83) | |||
| Partner experienced sexual difficulties in the past year | 0.0136 | <0.0001 | 0.4140 | ||||||||||
| No/other | 2431, 3454 | 14.6 | (13.1 to 16.2) | 1 | − | 3726, 3498 | 34.8 | (33.1 to 36.6) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 513, 763 | 19.4 | (15.8 to 23.6) | 1.41 | (1.07 to 1.86) | 649, 719 | 46.8 | (42.5 to 51.1) | 1.60 | (1.32 to 1.94) | |||
| Does not feel emotionally close to partner when having sex | 0.0006 | <0.0001 | 0.5972 | ||||||||||
| No/other | 2904, 4165 | 15.1 | (13.7 to 16.6) | 1 | − | 4263, 4108 | 35.9 | (34.3 to 37.6) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes | 42, 56 | 39.9 | (23.6 to 58.8) | 3.74 | (1.76 to 7.93) | 112, 109 | 73.0 | (62.8 to 81.3) | 4.80 | (2.99 to 7.69) | |||
| Lifestyle | |||||||||||||
| 1+child(ren) aged <5 in household | 0.9088 | <0.0001 | 0.0216 | ||||||||||
| No, none | 4100, 5015 | 15.2 | (13.9 to 16.5) | 1 | − | 4997, 4671 | 33.1 | (31.6 to 34.6) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes, 1+ | 727, 941 | 14.5 | (11.9 to 17.6) | 0.98 | (0.76 to 1.28) | 1664, 1074 | 38.6 | (36.0 to 41.4) | 1.55 | (1.34 to 1.79) | |||
| Pregnant in the last year | 0.0114 | ||||||||||||
| No | 4227, 4122 | 36.2 | (34.6 to 37.9) | 1 | − | ||||||||
| Yes | 437, 273 | 41.7 | (36.6 to 47.1) | 1.36 | (1.07 to 1.72) | ||||||||
| Used hormonal contraceptive, past year | 0.05 | ||||||||||||
| No | 3759, 3838 | 34.8 | (33.1 to 36.5) | 1 | − | ||||||||
| Yes | 2806, 1831 | 33.0 | (30.9 to 35.1) | 1.15 | (1.00 to 1.33) | ||||||||
| Sexual health indicators | |||||||||||||
| Ever diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection | <0.0001 | 0.0004 | 0.0651 | ||||||||||
| No (or only thrush) | 4147, 5127 | 14.0 | (12.8 to 15.3) | 1 | − | 5455, 4861 | 33.4 | (31.9 to 34.9) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes (excluding thrush) | 677, 830 | 21.4 | (18.1 to 25.0) | 1.67 | (1.33 to 2.10) | 1206, 888 | 38.2 | (35.1 to 41.5) | 1.32 | (1.13 to 1.54) | |||
| Ever experienced non-volitional sex | 0.0010 | <0.0001 | 0.3164 | ||||||||||
| No | 4705, 5824 | 14.7 | (13.6 to 16.0) | 1 | − | 5815, 5055 | 32.8 | (31.4 to 34.2) | 1 | − | |||
| Yes/don't know | 133, 148 | 26.1 | (18.9 to 34.9) | 2.07 | (1.34 to 3.18) | 848, 695 | 44.3 | (40.5 to 48.3) | 1.66 | (1.40 to 1.97) | |||
| Sexual competence at first sex§§ | 0.0706 | <0.0001 | 0.1797 | ||||||||||
| Not competent | 2407, 3037 | 16.2 | (14.6 to 17.9) | 1 | − | 3438, 2927 | 37.6 | (35.7 to 39.5) | 1 | − | |||
| Competent | 2302, 2784 | 13.7 | (12.1 to 15.4) | 0.84 | (0.69 to 1.01) | 3097, 2716 | 30.3 | (28.4 to 32.3) | 0.73 | (0.65 to 0.83) | |||
| Number of other sexual response problems experienced¶¶ | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.0015 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 3208, 3945 | 11.7 | (10.5 to 13.1) | 1 | − | 4377, 3759 | 25.3 | (23.8 to 26.9) | 1 | − | |||
| 1 | 1061, 1350 | 10.9 | (9.0 to 13.2) | 0.91 | (0.71 to 1.17) | 1217, 1087 | 34.8 | (31.7 to 38.0) | 1.55 | (1.32 to 1.82) | |||
| 2+ | 570, 678 | 42.5 | (37.9 to 47.2) | 5.58 | (4.41 to 7.04) | 1075, 909 | 69.8 | (66.5 to 72.9) | 6.91 | (5.82 to 8.21) | |||
| Attitudes | |||||||||||||
| People are under pressure to have sex | 0.0115 | 0.0001 | 0.7970 | ||||||||||
| Else | 1799, 2264 | 13.1 | (11.4 to 15.0) | 1 | − | 1851, 1570 | 29.3 | (26.8 to 31.9) | 1 | − | |||
| Strongly agree/agree | 3038, 3707 | 16.2 | (14.7 to 17.8) | 1.29 | (1.06 to 1.57) | 4817, 4185 | 36.0 | (34.4 to 37.6) | 1.34 | (1.16 to 1.54) | |||
| People want less sex as they age | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.9443 | ||||||||||
| Else | 2943, 3472 | 11.4 | (10.2 to 12.8) | 1 | − | 4044, 3278 | 27.8 | (26.2 to 29.4) | 1 | − | |||
| Strongly agree/agree | 1894, 2499 | 20.0 | (18.0 to 22.2) | 1.93 | (1.61 to 2.32) | 2624, 2477 | 42.6 | (40.4 to 44.8) | 1.85 | (1.63 to 2.10) | |||
| Men have a naturally higher sex drive than women | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | ||||||||||
| Else | 2788, 3441 | 18.0 | (16.4 to 19.7) | 1 | − | 3351, 2830 | 26.0 | (24.3 to 27.8) | 1 | − | |||
| Strongly agree/agree | 2049, 2530 | 10.9 | (9.4 to 12.6) | 0.56 | (0.46 to 0.68) | 3317, 2925 | 42.0 | (40.0 to 44.1) | 2.04 | (1.80 to 2.31) | |||
| Too much sex in the media | 0.7069 | 0.1807 | 0.4835 | ||||||||||
| Else | 1986, 2296 | 14.6 | (12.8 to 16.6) | 1 | − | 2091, 1618 | 31.7 | (29.3 to 34.2) | 1 | − | |||
| Strongly agree/agree | 2851, 3675 | 15.3 | (13.8 to 16.9) | 1.04 | (0.85 to 1.26) | 4577, 4137 | 35.1 | (33.5 to 36.8) | 1.10 | (0.96 to 1.26) | |||
Denominator is those aged 16–74 years with at least one partner in the past year.
*p Value for interaction to determine whether the magnitude of association between each variable and lack of interest in sex differs between men and women.
†Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is a multidimensional measure of area (neighbourhood)-level deprivation based on the participant's postcode. IMD scores for England, Scotland and Wales were adjusted before being combined and assigned to quintiles, using a method by Payne and Abel.50
‡Participants aged≥17 years.
§Includes arthritis, heart attack, coronary heart disease, angina, other forms of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, broken hip or pelvis, bone or hip replacement ever, backache lasting >3 months, any other muscle or bone disease lasting >3 months, depression, cancer and any thyroid condition treated in the past year.
¶Participants were asked whether they had often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless in the past two weeks and whether they had often been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things in the past two weeks, using a validated two-question patient health questionnaire (PHQ-2).
**Opposite and/or same-sex partners.
††Other means easy with a husband or wife or regular partner, but difficult with a new partner; easy with a new partner, but difficult with a husband or wife or regular partner; difficult with any partner; it depends, sometimes easy and sometimes difficult.
‡‡Participants were asked to rate how happy they were in their relationship from 1 (very happy) to 7 (very unhappy); responses of 1 or 2 were regarded as denoting participants who were happy with their relationship.
§§A constructed variable to measure readiness, combining consensuality, autonomy of decision-making, timing and use of effective contraception.
¶¶Sexual response problems (for at least 3 months in the past year): lacked enjoyment in sex, felt anxious during sex, felt physical pain as a result of sex, felt no excitement or arousal during sex, difficulty in reaching climax, reached a climax more quickly than you would like, trouble getting or keep an erection (men), uncomfortably dry vagina (women).
Unwt, unweighted; wt, weighted.