Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
J Sex Med. 2022 Feb;19(2):188-200. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.12.004. Epub 2021 Dec 13.
The literature suggests that the pandemic has affected sexual activity and sexual desire around the world, potentially due to increased levels of stress, movement restrictions under lockdown conditions, and changes in relationship quality.
To investigate changes in frequency and patterns of marital sexual activity and the role of potential factors underlying these changes, during and after COVID-19 lockdown.
This longitudinal study followed 409 heterosexual married female participants who completed a baseline survey in April-July 2018 and biweekly online surveys over the next 14 weeks; an online survey in May 2020 during the lockdown in Singapore; and an online survey in June 2020 after the lockdown was lifted. Participants were recruited in 2018 using street intercept and screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Logistic fixed-effects models were used to test for changes in frequency and patterns of marital sexual activity and assess underlying factors. Pseudo-design-based sample weights were applied.
The 2018 in-person baseline survey collected information on demographic characteristics and ideal frequency of marital sex, while follow-up online questionnaires in May-June 2020 included items on exact dates of marital sexual activity of previous weeks; stress and fatigue levels; both spouses' stay-at-home statuses during lockdown; and marital satisfaction.
409 heterosexual married women were included in this study. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the proportion of participants not having marital sex within a week remained stable while weekly sexual frequency increased, with more evenly distributed sexual activity on weekdays and weekends. Stress, fatigue, and marital satisfaction levels predicted probability of non-activity and sexual frequency.
The increase in weekly sexual frequency has implications for sexual and reproductive health, including sexual satisfaction and prevalence of infertility and low birth weight associated with waiting time to pregnancy.
STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: The longitudinal nature of the dataset provides unique insights into differences in frequency of marital sexual activity during compared to before the pandemic. Unlike previous studies, detailed data on exact dates of sexual activity allow for detection of differences in sexual activity by day of the week. However, dates of sexual activity were recorded retrospectively and may contain recall errors. Data were collected only from wives and hence dates of marital sexual activities were not cross-validated with husbands.
Results point to more active and flexible marital sex lives during the pandemic, with effects that persisted after the lockdown ended. Tan PL. Changes in Frequency and Patterns of Marital Sexual Activity During COVID-19: Evidence From Longitudinal Data Prior to, During and After Lockdown in Singapore. J Sex Med 2022;19:188-200.
文献表明，这场大流行可能导致全球范围内的性活动和性欲望受到影响，这可能是由于压力水平升高、封锁条件下的行动限制以及关系质量的变化。
调查 COVID-19 封锁期间和之后，婚姻中性活动的频率和模式的变化，以及这些变化背后潜在因素的作用。
本纵向研究纳入了 409 名异性已婚女性参与者，她们在 2018 年 4 月至 7 月完成了基线调查，并在接下来的 14 周内每周进行两次在线调查；2020 年 5 月在新加坡封锁期间进行了一次在线调查；2020 年 6 月封锁解除后进行了一次在线调查。参与者于 2018 年通过街头拦截招募，并进行了纳入和排除标准的筛查。使用逻辑固定效应模型来检验婚姻中性活动的频率和模式的变化，并评估潜在因素。应用了伪基于设计的样本权重。
2018 年的现场基线调查收集了人口统计学特征和婚姻中理想性频率的信息，而 2020 年 5 月至 6 月的在线随访问卷包括前几周婚姻性活动的确切日期、压力和疲劳水平、双方在封锁期间的居家状态以及婚姻满意度的信息。
与大流行前相比，每周性频率增加，但一周内无性行为的比例保持稳定，工作日和周末的性行为分布更加均匀。压力、疲劳和婚姻满意度水平预测了非活动和性频率的可能性。这种每周性频率的增加对性和生殖健康有影响，包括性满意度以及与怀孕等待时间相关的不孕和低出生体重的发生率。
研究结果表明，在大流行期间，婚姻中性生活更加活跃和灵活，而且这种影响在封锁结束后仍然存在。
