These summaries of selected research projects give you a glimpse into what our Kinsey Institute researchers are working on today. You can find more information on these projects, and information on all our ongoing research on our Current Research page >>

Researchers at the Kinsey Institute are shedding light on why some women experience sexual problems and others do not. A study published in the April 2008 issue of the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior found connections between personality traits such as sexual inhibition, a characteristic which inhibits sexual arousal, and sexual problems.

While previous studies have explored the role demographics such as age, education, and socio-economic status play in sexual functioning among women, few have explored the role differences in personality play in predicting current and lifetime sexual problems. In this study, a women’s tendency towards inhibition was more important than other factors in predicting sexual problems.

The Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women was administered to 540 women, who also rated current and sexual problems, lifetime arousal difficulty, and lifetime problems with low sexual interest. The scores related to sexual inhibition were most well correlated with reports of sexual problems. Sexual inhibition scores were the strongest predictor of current and past sexual problems including lifetime arousal difficulty and low sexual interest; more so than demographic and background factors such as age, socio-economic status, and whether or not women were in a sexual relationship.

The “Arousal Contingency” or the ease with which arousal can be disrupted by situational factors, and “Concerns about Sexual Function” were the two most predictive of women’s sexual problems.

See also:

Women's Well-Being & Sexuality Study >>