Can PTSD Cause Sexual Dysfunction?

Put up-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD) is a psychiatric situation that may be introduced on by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic occasion like a severe accident, bodily or sexual assault, or warfare and battle. It’s usually characterised by intrusive, distressing reminiscences, flashbacks, or nightmares concerning the occasion; avoidance of individuals, locations, or issues that remind one of many occasion; heightened emotional and bodily reactions to stimuli; and damaging modifications in temper or pondering.

Previous analysis has revealed an affiliation between PTSD and sexual difficulties, however can PTSD really trigger sexual dysfunction? Consultants theorize that PTSD signs could contribute to sexual difficulties if distressing ideas or flashbacks happen throughout sexual exercise, the particular person feels emotionally or bodily weak throughout intercourse, sexual exercise or elements of it remind the particular person of the traumatic occasion, and/or damaging beliefs or hypersensitivity to stimuli make it troublesome to be current in the course of the expertise.  

As a result of fight publicity can usually set off PTSD, it is without doubt one of the most typical psychological well being situations affecting United States veterans and navy personnel. As such, the authors of a current Journal of Sexual Drugs examine sought to make clear the nuanced relationship between PTSD and sexual difficulties via a scientific overview of research associated to the subject on this inhabitants.

The systematic overview yielded a complete of 43 research (in English) that explored the affiliation between PTSD and sexual issues in U.S. veterans and navy personnel. These 43 research had been then divided into classes based mostly on sexual consequence, together with: general sexual perform, sexual want, sexual arousal, erectile dysfunction, orgasm functioning, untimely ejaculation, sexual ache, sexual satisfaction, sexual misery, frequency of sexual exercise, and significance of intercourse.

Cautious evaluation of the recognized research confirmed that PTSD is expounded to an elevated danger of growing a number of sexual difficulties, although not essentially throughout all classes. For instance, among the research that examined the connection between PTSD and sexual perform in veterans and navy personnel confirmed nonsignificant associations (as within the case of sexual arousal) or combined outcomes (orgasm functioning, erectile dysfunction, untimely ejaculation, sexual ache, and frequency of sexual exercise).

Nonetheless, the affiliation between PTSD and sexual difficulties was most evident within the classes of general sexual perform, sexual satisfaction, sexual want (the motivational state for sexual exercise), and sexual misery (fear, frustration, or nervousness concerning sexual exercise).

Total, the research in these classes affirmed a weak to reasonable correlation between PTSD and the sexual problem in query. Nonetheless, the authors level out that many of those research didn’t account for different variables which will play a task in sexual perform, like despair.

Moreover, the research recognized on this overview didn’t measure sexual outcomes or assess PTSD signs in a constant method, which limits the feasibility of really evaluating their outcomes. Extra analysis that addresses these limitations can be useful for additional illuminating the affiliation between PTSD and sexual difficulties.

Nonetheless, the outcomes of this examine recommend that veterans and navy personnel that suffer from PTSD could also be at larger danger for experiencing no less than one sexual problem. People with PTSD could discover it useful to debate their sexual well being with a trusted well being care supplier to establish potential coping methods and/or therapy choices.   

Sources:

Hen, E.R., Piccirillo, M., Garcia, N., Blais, R., & Campbell, S. (2021). Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Dysfunction and Sexual Difficulties: A Systematic Evaluate of Veterans and Navy Personnel. The Journal of Sexual Drugs, 18(8), 1398-1426. https://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(21)00517-8/fulltext.

Mayo Clinic. (2018, July 6). Put up-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967.