The Mediating Role of Sexual Self-Schema in the Relationship of Sexual Functioning with Sexual Satisfaction in Married Female College Students

Objectives This study aimed to examine the mediating role of sexual self-schema in the relationship of sexual functioning with sexual satisfaction in married female students. Methods The is a correlational study. The study population consists of all married female students of Alzahra University and Islamic Azad University of South Tehran branch in 2017. Of these, 360 were selected by multistage cluster random sampling method. Data were collected using Women’s Sexual Self-Schema Scale of Anderson and Cyranowski (1994), Female Sexual Function Index of Rosen et al. (2000), and Index of Sexual Satisfaction designed by Hudson (1993). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and using path analysis.   Results The Passionate-Romantic factor of sexual self-schema had a positive mediating role in relationship of sexual function with sexual satisfaction, while its Embarrassed-Conservative dimension had a negative mediating role (P<0.001). The factor of Open-Direct had no mediating role. Moreover, sexual functioning had a significant positive effect on Passionate-Romantic and Open-Direct dimension of sexual self-schema, while its effect on Embarrassed-Conservative was significantly negative. Furthermore, the Passionate-Romantic factor had a significant positive effect on sexual satisfaction, while the factor of Embarrassed-Conservative had a significant negative effect (P<0.001). The factor of Open-Direct had no direct effect on sexual satisfaction. The effect of sexual functioning on sexual satisfaction was significantly negative (p<0.001). Conclusion Sexual self-schema mediates the relationship of sexual functioning with sexual satisfaction.