The effect of sexual satisfaction of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their spouses on marital adjustment quality of life and treatment compliance

This study aims to determine the effect of sexual satisfaction of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their spouses on marital adjustment, quality of life and treatment compliance. The population of the study consisted of a total of 248 individuals, including 124 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (in remission/euthymic period) and 124 spouses of these patients, who applied to the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic in Gaziantep University Şahinbey Research and Practice Hospital between the dates 01.02.2022 and 31.07.2022. Necessary data are collected through Sociodemographic Information Forms, Young Mania Questionnaires (YMQ), Beck Depression Questionnaires (BDQ), Golombok-Rust Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaires (GRSSQ), Marital Adjustment Questionnaires (MAQ), Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder Questionnaires (QoLBDQ), and Morisky Treatment Compliance Questionnaires (MTCQ). Analyses were performed using two software programs, SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 21.0, and P<0.05 was considered as the significance level. It was found that 44.35 % of the patients were primary school graduates, 51.61% married for 21 years or more, 80.6% had arranged marriages, and the mean age of the patients was 43.62 ± 9.68 years. The Mean Total Scale Scores of the patients are as follows: YMQ 1.31 ± 2.94, BDQ 6.6 ± 7.51, QoLBDQ 43.93 ± 12.08, MTCQ 1.31 ± 1.35, MAQ 17.16 ± 6.36, GRSSQ 39.63 ± 23.72 It is found that there is a statistically positive and weakly significant relationship between the Mean Total Score of GRSSQ and MAQ in all participants (p<0.05). It is determined that: as the sexual satisfaction of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their spouses increases, their marital adjustment decreases; there is no relationship between sexual satisfaction and treatment compliance in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder; as the quality of life of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their spouses increases, treatment compliance and sexual satisfaction increases, marital adjustment decreases. It is believed that addressing the problems related to sexual satisfaction of patients, who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and their spouses, and supporting them with psychoeducation might positively affect their marital adjustment, quality of life and treatment compliance. Keywords: Bipolar Disorder, Sexual Satisfaction, Marital Adjustment, Treatment Compliance, Quality of Life, Psychiatric Nursing