Evaluating Correlation of General Self-Concept with Sexual Self-Concept in Infertile Women

Abstract

Background: General self-concept refers to a set of feelings and perceptions toward oneself, and sexual self-concept is defined as individual's perception of his/her sexual feelings and actions. These two concepts are affected by various life problems, including infertility. The present study aimed to evaluate correlation of general self-concept and sexual self-concept in infertile women. Methods: This descriptive correlational study was carried out on all infertile women who visited the Gorgan Infertility Center in 2018. Overall, 105 eligible infertile women were included in the study via convenience sampling. Data were collected using Persian versions of the Rogers self-concept questionnaire and the Snell sexual self-concept questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Pearson and Spearman's correlation tests in SPSS 16 and at significance of 0.05. Results: Mean age of subjects was 28.88±5.14 years (range: 17 and 40 years). Based on the findings, 19% of the participants had normal general self-concept, 31.4% had moderate self-concept, and 49.5% had weak self-concept. Mean scores of positive sexual self-concept, negative self-concept and situational sexual self-concept were 118.9±24.85, 13.33±8.94 and 41.98±10.53, respectively. There was no correlation between general self-concept and different dimensions of sexual self-concept of the infertile women. Conclusion: Due to the lack of correlation between general self-concept and sexual self-concept in infertile women, it is suggested to conduct evaluations and interventions on the general and sexual self-concepts of the participants separately.