ArticleThe journal of sexual medicine2025
Depression, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and sexual wellbeing in assigned females: exploring the moderating role of sexual flexibility.
Article in The journal of sexual medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Citalopram-induced decrease of CLOCK-ir and BMAL1-ir kisspeptin neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus of adult male mice.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2025Article
- Neurological adverse events associated with antidepressants: a comprehensive 22-year analysis of the FDA adverse event reporting system.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDepression often causes sexual dysfunction, including reduced desire and pleasure, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), commonly used to treat depression, can worsen these issues, leading to treatment discontinuation.
aimTo examine sexual wellbeing differences across depression and SSRI groups, how depression, SSRI use, and sexual flexibility predict sexual outcomes, and whether sexual flexibility moderates the relationship between sexual functioning, distress, and pleasure.
methodsParticipants (N = 357, mean age 26.8 years) assigned female sex at birth were recruited for an online cross-sectional study. Participants were grouped by SSRI use and depression severity: SSRIs-low depression (n = 86), SSRIs-high depression (n = 117), no SSRIs-low depression (n = 81), and no SSRIs-high depression (n = 73). OUTCOMES: Validated measures of depression, sexual function, sexual distress, sexual flexibility, and sexual pleasure were used.
resultsAnalyses of variance (ANOVAs) and multiple regressions examined relationships between depression, SSRI use, and sexual wellbeing. Moderation analyses tested whether sexual flexibility moderated the link between sexual functioning, distress, and pleasure. The SSRIs-high depression group reported the poorest sexual wellbeing, while the No SSRIs-low depression group reported the highest. Depression and SSRI use predicted increased sexual distress and decreased functioning, pleasure, and flexibility, explaining 21%-26% of variance. Sexual flexibility moderated the relationship between functioning and pleasure, with stronger effects at lower flexibility levels. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Sexual flexibility may improve sexual functioning and pleasure, providing a positive, adaptable framework for therapy; thus, psychosexual and educational interventions focusing on flexibility could enhance sexual pleasure and reduce distress, fostering sexual resilience and improving relationship dynamics. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Strengths include a nuanced analysis of depression severity and SSRI use, offering a comprehensive view of sexual wellbeing. Limitations include reliance on self-reported medication use, inability to assess specific SSRIs, and potential confounding from concurrent antidepressant use.
conclusionSSRIs and depression each uniquely affect sexual functioning, distress, and pleasure, such that those with moderate to severe depression and SSRI use report significantly poorer sexual outcomes.
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