Room 517-D | Premature Ejaculation: Towards a Consensus on Definition, Etiology and Treatment- Part I Thursday, July 14, 2005 Time: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM |
The Psychosocial Impact of Premature Ejaculation on Men.
Rowland, David*,1, Althof, Stanley2, Sharlip, Ira3, Rothman, Margaret 4, Feng, Weiwei4, Jamieson, Carol 4, McNulty, Pauline4, 1 Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, USA2 Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Beachwood, OH3 University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA4 Johnson & Johnson, Raritan, NJ
ABSTRACT- Introduction and Objective: Premature ejaculation (PE) is the most common form of male sexual dysfunction. It has been shown to have a negative impact on men′s sexual relationships; however, relatively little is known about the level of psychosocial impact associated with this condition. The objective of this study was to assess personal distress and interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation, satisfaction with sexual intercourse, sexual relationship, and confidence in men with and without PE. Methods: Data were obtained from a 4-week multi-center observational study that enrolled subjects with (n=207) and without PE (n=1380). Subjects were classified as PE or non-PE by a clinician according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Subjects completed single-item measures of personal distress and interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation (5-point scale; 0=not at all to 4=extremely) and satisfaction with sexual intercourse (5-point scale, 0=very poor to 4=very good), and 2 subscales of the Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire (sexual relationship [items 1–8] and confidence [items 9–14]; scale, 0–100). A 2-sample t-test was used to compare responses between subjects with and without PE. Results: Among men with PE, 88.4% indicated they were moderately to extremely distressed by how fast they ejaculated compared with 15.3% of men without PE (mean, 2.7 vs 0.7; P<0.0001). 86.1% of men with PE reported that how fast they ejaculated caused difficulty in their relationship with their partner, compared with 6.0% of men without PE (mean, 1.8 vs 0.3; P<0.0001). Only 30.8% of men with PE reported good to very good satisfaction with sexual intercourse compared with 90.0% of men without PE (mean, 1.98 vs 3.32; P<0.0001). Lower SEAR subscale scores were observed in men with vs without PE: sexual relationship (mean, 54.6 vs 82.3; P<0.0001), confidence (mean, 69.3 vs 90.3, P<0.0001), and total ([items 1–14] mean, 60.9 vs 85.7; P<0.0001). Conclusions: Men with PE reported substantial negative psychosocial impact. Men with PE reported greater personal distress and interpersonal difficulty related to how fast they ejaculate and less satisfaction with sexual intercourse than men without PE. Single- and multiple-item measures of satisfaction with sexual intercourse showed similar results.
Key words: premature ejaculation, sexual dysfunction, orgasmic disorder, psychosocial impact, sexual intercourse