Conflicts Within the Family & Within the Couple as Contextual Factors in the Determinism of Male Sexual Dysfunction
INTRODUCTION:
The
deterioration of a couple's relationship has been previously associated with
impairment in male sexual function. Besides a couple's dystonic relationship,
other stressors can unfavorably influence dyadic intimacy. A largely neglected
etiopathogenetic factor affecting couple sexuality is the frustration caused by
conflicts within the family.
AIM:
To evaluate
the possible associations between male sexual dysfunction (SD) and conflictual
relationships within the couple or the family.
METHODS:
A
consecutive series of 3,975 men, attending the Outpatient Clinic for SD for the
first time, was retrospectively studied. Conflicts within the family and within
the couple were assessed using two standard questions: "Are there any
conflicts at home," and "Do you have a difficult relationship with
your partner?" respectively, rating 0 = normal relationships, 1 =
occasional quarrels, and 2 = frequent quarrels or always.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Several
clinical, biochemical, and psychological (Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire)
parameters were studied.
RESULTS:
Among the
3,975 patients studied, we observed a high prevalence of conflicts within the
family and within the couple (32% vs. 21.2%). When compared with the rest of
the sample, subjects reporting both type of conflicts showed a higher
prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities. Hence, all data were adjusted for this
parameter and for age. Family and couple conflicts were significantly
associated with free floating anxiety, depression symptoms, and with a higher
risk of subjective (self-reported) and objective (peak systolic velocity at the
penile color Doppler ultrasound <35 mm/sec2) erectile dysfunction and
hypoactive sexual desire. Female sexual function parameters, as reported by the
patient, retained a significant association with both type of conflicts.
CONCLUSIONS:
This
study indicates that the presence of often unexplored issues, like conflicts
within the family or within the couple, can represent an important contextual
factor in the determinism of male SD..
- 1Andrology Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
- 2Psychiatry Unit, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Florence, Italy.
- 3Endocrinology Unit, Maggiore-Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
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