Most of the sexual problems women experience seem to be rooted in inhibition, according to a Kinsey Institute study.

Researchers studied the responses of 540 women to shed light on why some of them experience these problems and others don't.

Sexual inhibition scores were the strongest predictor of current and past sexual problems, even better than demographic and background factors like age and socio-economic status, besides sexual activities.

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

"Arousal Contingency" or the ease with which arousal can be disrupted by situational factors, and "Concerns about Sexual Function" were the two most predictive of women's sexual problems.

This theoretical model reflects the idea that sexual response in individuals is the product of a balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes.

Researchers believe these two systems operate somewhat independent of each other and are different in each person.

The study was published in the April issue of Archives of Sexual Behaviour.