Table 1.

Probable sexuality and intimacy-related issues during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Effect on sexuality/sexual practices	Contributing factors
Sexual abstinence	Fear related to intimacy
	Travel history of partners
	Uncertainty about transmission
	Physical distancing
Coercive sexual practices/IPV/incest	History of IPV
	Marital discord/disharmony
	Couples stranded together away from family (more contact time)
	Substance abuse Increased pornography use
	Crowding in joint families (less supervision)
Noncompliance to precautions/lockdown	Frustration and distress associated with prolonged sexual abstinence
	KAP gap about healthy sex
Increase in paraphilias	History of sexual deviations
	Fear/restriction of conventional sexual acts
Disinterest in sex	Chronic stress
	Anxiety, uncertainty related to pandemic
	Depression, PTSD, and adjustment disorders
	Guilt
	Loneliness and isolation
Unhealthy use of technology (pornography addiction, use of dark web)	Isolation/quarantine
	History of substance abuse, externalizing personality traits, ADHD
	Compulsive use of technology
	Lack of partners/social support
Interpersonal issues	Lack of intimacy
Extramarital relationships	Prolonged sexual abstinence
Marital discord/disharmony	Physical distancing
	Increased sexual appetite/sex addiction
The rise in sexual disorders (erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, arousal disorders, etc.)	Preexisting sexual problems
	Chronic stress
	Depression, anxiety, psychoses (new onset or exacerbation)
	Chronic abstinence
	Interpersonal issues
	Heightened performance anxiety (fear of infection)
	Decreased self-esteem
High-risk sexual behaviors	Personality traits
	The psychological impact of lockdown
	Poor knowledge about sexual risks and contraception matters
Increased viral spread	Indiscriminate sexual practices without understanding the transmission risk

IPV – Intimate partner violence; KAP – Knowledge-attitude-practice; PTSD – Posttraumatic stress disorder; ADHD – Attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder