The Impact of Sexual Satisfaction on Marital Adjustment, Quality of Life, and Treatment Adherence in Patients Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder and Their Spouses: A Cross‐Sectional Study
Zerrin Demirel, Nurgül Ozdemir, Ayten Guner AtayogluABSTRACT
Objectives
To examine the effects of sexual satisfaction on marital adjustment, quality of life, and treatment adherence in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) and their spouses.
Methods
This cross‐sectional study included 124 euthymic patients with BD and their spouses (124 couples; n = 248 individuals), recruited from the psychiatry outpatient clinics of Gaziantep University Şahinbey Research and Practice Hospital, Türkiye. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Form, the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Golombok‐Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), the Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder Scale (QoL.BD), and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS).
Results
Patients' mean age was 43.62 ± 9.68 years; 51.61% had been married for ≥ 21 years. Mean scores: BDI 6.6 ± 7.51, QoL.BD 43.93 ± 12.08, DAS 17.16 ± 6.36, GRISS 39.63 ± 23.72, MMAS 1.31 ± 1.35. Greater sexual dissatisfaction was associated with poorer marital adjustment ( r = 0.325, p < 0.001). No significant direct association was found between sexual satisfaction and adherence. Higher quality of life was associated with lower depression, better marital adjustment, and greater sexual satisfaction.
Conclusions
Sexual satisfaction is closely linked to marital adjustment and quality of life in BD, with a less direct relationship to treatment adherence. Couple‐based psychoeducation addressing sexual health may support marital and quality‐of‐life outcomes in this population.