DYSFUNCTIONAL BELIEFS ABOUT SEXUAL INTERCOURSE: INTERACTION EFFECTS OF SEX AND AGE ON THE BOSNIAN SAMPLE

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the main effects of sex and age, as well as the interaction effect of sex and age in dysfunctional beliefs about sexual intercourse on a sample of the general population in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample of this study consisted of 900 volunteers of both sexes from three different age groups (18-29, 30-49, 50-65). The following instruments were used: A Sociodemographic characteristic questionnaire, Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Men (SDBQ-M) and Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Women (SDBQ-W). Using a two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) on the total scores of SDBQ, a statistically significant main effect of the variable 'Sex' was obtained (F(1,894)=337.793, p=0.000, partial η²=0.27), but no statistically significant main effect of the variable 'Age' was obtained (F(2,894)=2.842, p=0.059, partial η²=0.06), while a statistically significant interaction effect 'Sex*Age' was obtained (F(2,894)=6.670, p=0.001, partial η² = 0.016). Simple main effects of sex indicate that men have a higher prevalence of dysfunctional beliefs about sexual intercourse compared to their female counterparts in all three age groups (F(1,894)=212.609, p=0.000, partial η²=0.192; F(1,894)=114.444, p= 0.000, partial η²=0.113; F(1,894)=53.374, p=0.000, partial η²=0.056). Simple main effects of age indicate that men have no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of dysfunctional beliefs about sexual intercourse between all three age groups (F(2,894)=0.751, p=0.472, partial η²=0.002). This difference however exists amongst women (F(2,894)=11.319, p=0.000, partial η²=0.025), as statistically significant differences were found between all three age groups, where respondents aged 50 to 65 have the highest prevalence of dysfunctional beliefs about sexual intercourse compared to the remaining two age groups, while respondents from the 18 to 29 age group have the lowest prevalence of such beliefs. The results of this study partially confirm the previous research that was done in different cultural contexts, and they point to the need for further research that will take into account specific characteristics of Bosnian culture.