Among women, sexual inhibition is the strongest predictor of sexual problems such as low sexual interest and arousal difficulty, says a U.S. study that included 540 women.

Researchers found that the ease with which arousal can be disrupted by situational factors (arousal contingency) and concerns about sexual function can predict sexual problems, United Press International reported.

The findings appear in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

"Although further research is needed to confirm these findings with other samples, particularly clinical samples of women seeking help for sexual problems, these findings suggest that high scores on sexual inhibition may help predict which women are vulnerable to experience sexual problems," according to a statement from study co-author Cynthia Graham, a research fellow at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.