A pilot survey of sexual functioning and preferences in a sample of English-speaking adults from a small South Indian town.

INTRODUCTION

There is a dearth of recent information on sexual functioning and preferences from an Indian population.

AIM

To study sexual functioning and preferences in a sample of English-speaking adults in a small town in South India.

METHOD

Responses were obtained through a postal questionnaire method and were analyzed. Study document included an explanation of the study, sociodemographic details, a sexual functioning questionnaire, a semistructured sexual preference questionnaire, and meanings of terms used in the questionnaires.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Frequency of various sexual functions, difficulties, and preferences over a period of 1 month.

RESULTS

Sixty-one subjects out of 200 English-speaking persons from a south Indian town returned the questionnaire. Common sexual difficulties included decreased interest in sex (16.4%), arousal difficulties (21.3%), orgasmic difficulties in females (28.6%), and premature ejaculation in males (15.2%). Masturbation was considered wrong by 18% of respondents; with almost 40% of females and 6% of males reported to have never masturbated. There were many differences in the sexual functioning of married compared to unmarried persons and other sociodemographic groups. Practice of various sexual preferences was reported: voyeurism (41.0%), fetishism (18.0%), frotteurism (11.5%), homosexuality (11.5%), telephone scatology (9.8%), and incest (8.2%) being more common. In a small minority, telephone scatology (3.3%), voyeurism (1.6%), and fetishism (1.6%) were reported to be the only method of sexual gratification.

CONCLUSIONS

Sexual difficulties were similar to other reports in different cultures. Varieties of preferences were practiced, and there were variations among different sociodemographic groups.