Abstract
Women who experience sexual trauma are at high risk for psychological, physical, and social difficulties including sexual dysfunction (Maseroli et al., 2018; Craner et al., 2015; Shors & Milon, 2016). The DSM-5 includes three sexual dysfunction diagnoses but does not address sexual trauma or the impact it can have on a woman’s sexual health (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The present study examined the relationship between sexual trauma and sexual functioning as well as health and sexual quality of life in 324 sexually active women. Sexual trauma was found to be correlated with disability (r = -0.092), higher distress (r = 0.115), and lower sexual quality of life (r = -0.164). For those who met criteria for a sexual dysfunction diagnosis (36.1%), trauma severity scores were higher (N=324, t= -2.36, p = .005) but an experience of sexual trauma itself was not associated with a sexual dysfunction diagnosis (X2(1, N=324) = 4.668, p = .031). These results contribute to current literature on women’s sexual health and the impact of sexual trauma and can help inform clinical practice as well as future research in this area.