Women are seen as the passive sex and possessing a naturally low sex drive. But a new research at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction and published in the journal "Archives of Sexual Behavior" reveals that this is a misconception, and sexual issues in some women are the result of a balance play between sexual excitation and inhibition.

Most previous researches focused on the role of factors like age, education and socio-economic status impacting the sex life of women, but few took into consideration personality factors. Sexual inhibition has been found by the new research to be the main factor beyond female sexual issues.

"These findings suggest that high scores on sexual inhibition may help predict which women are vulnerable to experience sexual problems. They may also be used as prognostic factors in treatment studies," said co-author Cynthia Graham, research fellow at the Kinsey Institute.

The research poll was made of 540 women on the Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women, assessing current sexual problems, lifetime arousal difficulty and lifetime low sex drive.

Sexual inhibition appeared to be the main predictor of current and past sexual issues like lifetime arousal difficulty and low sex drive, much more important than factors like age, socio-economic status, and involvement in a relationship.

"Arousal contingency" (the ease that arousal can be disrupted with by situational factors) and "concerns about sexual function" were the most important factors causing sexual inhibition in women.

The Kinsey Institute has come with the dual control model of sexual response, a theoretical model stating that sexual response in both men and women is the result of a balance play between sexual excitation and sexual inhibition; they act independently and vary a lot among individuals. The dual control model could come with a better explanation for sexual issues, sexual compulsivity and high-risk sexual behaviors. Sexual inhibition has evolved for a protective role in decreasing sexual responses, but when it dominates over excitation, sexual issues install.