Corona brengt ons dichter bij elkaar": De ervaren impact van de coronacrisis op het seksleven van mensen met een partner.

Abstract

Since March 2020, our country has been in the grip of the coronacrisis. In order to reduce the number of infections, several drastic measures were implemented from 15 March onwards, which suddenly changed the lives of many people. These changes may have an impact on sexual behavior and well-being. To investigate this, we used data from a Dutch sample (n=883) which are part of a European study on sexual behavior and well-being in times of corona. Open and closed questions were analyzed to determine whether cohabiting people generally experience an increase or decrease in sexual desire and activity during the first lockdown, and what factors are associated with this. For most people, the coronacrisis does not seem to affect their sex life, especially when it does not negatively affect their daily life or when the relationship is strong. The extent to which and how people experience the impact of the coronacrisis on their sex life depends on the impact the lockdown has on four dimensions of their daily lives (time and space, tension and stress, physical proximity and emotional proximity), but also on the way people cope with changes in these dimensions. For example, when people experience more time, less stress and more physical and emotional proximity with their partner, the lockdown can have a positive impact on their sex life. Possibly, the experiences of people for whom it has worked out positively can be a source of inspiration for others.