An Exploration of Returning Veterans' Sexual Health Issues Using a Brief Self-Report Measure
INTRODUCTION:
Sexual health is
an integral aspect of quality of life with important implications for satisfaction
with intimate relationships, emotional well-being, and life as a whole. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan frequently encounter a wide
range of known risk factors for sexual health concerns.
AIM:
This article
seeks to examine the overall frequency, important covariates associated with sexual difficulties, and the relevant domains of sexual dysfunction
among a group of recent US veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
METHODS:
This is a
retrospective chart review of 247 veterans of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
evaluated for an initial visit at the post-deployment clinic of a large veterans
affairs medical center (VAMC). Patient demographic and medical characteristics were
calculated using descriptive statistics. The prevalence and burden of sexual health issues in our patient sample were calculated using descriptive
statistics from these veterans' responses to a self-report measure of sexual functioning.
Item-level regression analyses were then conducted between sexual functioning responses
and other patient data.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
The
main outcome measures used were the responses to the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX).
RESULTS:
Almost 18%
of veterans screened positive for sexual functioning
difficulties. Self-reported sexual dysfunction
was most strongly associated with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, female
sex, and service connection rating. Co-occurring characteristics varied with specific
areas of sexual functioning.
CONCLUSIONS:
Screening
using an empirically validated self-report instrument
indicates that there is a high prevalence of reported sexual dysfunction among
recently deployed veterans. Analyses indicated that there are specific characteristics
associated with both overall self-reported sexual dysfunction and specific subtypes of sexual dysfunction. Active assessment of specific aspects of sexual dysfunction concerns may allow providers to identify
and implement more precise sexual functioning
interventions.
- 1Psychology Service Mental Health Care LineMichael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center Houston TX USA; Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Baylor College of Medicine Houston (https://www.bcm.edu/) TX USA.
- 2Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Baylor College of Medicine Houston TX USA; Scott Department of Urology Baylor College of Medicine Houston TX USA.
- 3War Related Illness and Injury Study Center VA New Jersey Health Care System East Orange NJ USA; Department of Medicine Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School Newark NJ USA.
- 4Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
- 5Social Work and Transition Care Service Line Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center Houston TX USA.
- 6Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Baylor College of Medicine Houston TX USA; VA South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (SC-MIRECC)Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center Houston TX USA; Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and SafetyMichael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center Houston TX USA.
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