A research group from the University of Albany has found that sexual intimacy might be one of the best deterrents of depression and other mental health issues.
Professor Gordon Gallup is a famed psychologist who works at the University of Albany. He spearheaded a study that looked into the sexual lives of females and how their sexuality impacted their overall mental health.
He and his team were able to find out that women who didn’t use condoms were less prone to depression. That led to the theory that perhaps when semen is absorbed through the vagina, it can greatly affect or alter the mood of a woman.
This study is more formally known as the Beck Depression Inventory or BDI. It is a survey which is popularly used to measure the various nuances involved in depression and mental health issues.
In one part of the study, approximately 300 women were requested to fill out anonymous questionnaires that focused on the various facets of their sexual activity and behavior. They were asked how often they would have sexual intercourse when the last time they had had sex was, and whether or not they incorporated the use of condoms during sexual intercourse.
Based on Gallup’s findings, he postulates that “females who engaged in sexual intercourse but never used condoms exhibited significantly lower scores on the BDI than those who usually or always used condoms.”
Granted, 300 women is a relatively small sample size and so the findings of this study might be inconclusive in the grand scheme of things. But it’s still an interesting hypothesis to ponder on nonetheless.
The leaders of the study tried their best to control the variables of the project to ensure the scientific integrity of the whole operation. They tried their best to really pay attention to the frequency of sexual intercourse, the use of other forms of contraceptives (such as pills), the relationship statuses of these women, and other such variables.
But they still found that the use of a condom still accounted for a bigger swing in the numbers determining the likelihood of a woman to develop depression or not.
And of course, there are other questions that have yet to be answered regarding the issue. And there is still much research to be exhausted surrounding the matter. However, Gallup has been adamant in saying that this study shouldn’t serve as an excuse for people to engage in reckless and irresponsible sexual activity.
He asserts that regardless of the findings of the study, people should still make it a point to engage in protected sex so as to ward off the transfer of diseases or to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
