The prevalence of sexual problems in the divorced population and the prevalence of separation in populations with sexual problems: a meta-analysis.

The prevalence of divorce has significantly increased in the world, and scattered studies reveal that one of the main causes of divorce is sexual problems. The present study aimed to review the existing studies on the prevalence of sexual problems in separated people such as divorce applicants and people separated due to sexual problems. Another aim of this study was to find the prevalence of separation in patients with diseases affecting sexual function. A wide range of articles were searched in electronic databases until 21 April, 2023. The studies on both sexual problems and separation were included. From among 4110 studies, the data of 14 studies were reviewed and meta-analyzed. The prevalence of sexual problems was found to be 47% (CI: 29-64%) in separated people, 43% (CI: 18-68%) in women, and 52% (CI: 25-79%) in men and the prevalence of separation was 16% (CI: 6-26%) in people with sexual problems, 27% (CI: 21-33%) in women, and 11% (CI: -1-23%) in men. Moreover, the prevalence of separation in patients with diseases affecting sexual function was 4% (CI: 2-6%), 2% (CI: 0-3%) in women, and 5% (CI: 2-8%) in men. A considerably high rate of separations could be attributed to sexual problems.