The Relationship Between Quality of Life Measures and Risk Factors for Pelvic Floor Disorders

Abstract

Pelvic floor disorders affect about 23.7% of women and are a class of ailments that cause physical and social discomfort in the forms of urinary and fecal incontinence, along with pelvic organ prolapse. Previous studies have identified age, BMI, parity, education and income as some of the main risk factors for developing a form of pelvic floor disorder. This study is focused on examining the relationship between the quality of life measures such as the Beck depression inventory and a modified body image survey, and some risk factors for pelvic floor disorders. The relationship between the scores from the depression inventory and body image survey was also examined. There were little significant results, but significant data was produced from the correlation of the Beck depression inventory and the modified body image survey. This revealed that a participant who reported more depressive symptoms also reported being less satisfied with their body. Also a significant relationship was identified between sexual activity and body image, which was that women with a more negative view of their body engaged in more sexual activity.