The Psychology of Erectile Dysfunction
Journal article
Authors | Allen, M., Sheffield, D. and Wood, A.M. |
---|---|
Abstract | Erectile dysfunction is a major chronic condition affecting hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide. This review provides a concise overview of research on the psychological experience of erectile dysfunction. There is evidence that psychological factors such as personality, depression, stress, and cognitive interference (e.g., performance worry, shifts in attentional focus) contribute to erectile problems. There is also evidence that the experience of erectile dysfunction can have negative psychological effects including feelings of emasculation, humiliation, decreases in self-confidence and feelings of self-worth, feelings of isolation and loneliness, increases in depression and decreases in subjective well-being. Effects on the affected individuals’ sexual partner include feelings of being unattractive, feelings of rejection, feeling unloved, decreases in self-esteem, and frustration. Psychological interventions (particularly multimodal interventions) show promise in their ability to contribute to the treatment of erectile dysfunction, but more research is needed to help establish the effectiveness of these approaches. We present a brief research agenda of critical areas in need of further study. This review should be of interest to the general public and also researchers looking to develop a program of research in sexual health psychology that focuses on the psychological experience of erectile dysfunction. |
Keywords | sexual health; erectile dysfunction; depression; performance; cardiovascular |
Year | 2023 |
Journal | Current Directions in Psychological Science |
Journal citation | pp. 1-7 |
Publisher | SAGE Journals |
ISSN | 1467-8721 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214231192269 |
Web address (URL) | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09637214231192269 |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 08 Sep 2023 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 02 Nov 2023 |
https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/q00q0/the-psychology-of-erectile-dysfunction
76
total views0
total downloads0
views this month0
downloads this month