Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Aug;49(4):499-505.
doi: 10.3325/cmj.2008.4.499.

Sexual functioning in war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Vesna Anticević  1 , Dolores Britvić
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Sexual functioning in war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Vesna Anticević et al. Croat Med J. 2008 Aug.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Aim: To assess the sexual dysfunction among Croatian war veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Method: The study included two groups--101 war veterans with PTSD and 55 healthy control volunteers receiving outpatient general health care in several outpatient clinics in Split. tructured interviews on different aspects of sexual functioning were conducted from April to October 2007 by trained interviewers.

Results: Respondents with PTSD reported significantly less sexual activity during the previous month than controls (sexual fantasies 2.5+/-1.6 vs 3.7+/-1.7, P<0.001; foreplay 2.4+/-1.6 vs 3.5+/-1.6, P<0.001; oral sex 1.6+/-1.2 vs 2.6+/-1.5, P<0.001; and sexual intercourse 2.4+/-1.6 vs 3.8+/-1.5, P<0.001) on a 7-point Likert type scale (from 1--not a single time to 7--more times a day). As reasons for reduced sexual activities, respondents with PTSD more frequently than controls reported their own health problems (3.2+/-1.2 vs 1.5+/-0.8; P<0.001) or health problems of their partner (2.4+/-1.1 vs 1.9+/-1.1; P=0.004), whereas controls more frequently reported overwork than respondents with PTSD (2.6+/-1.1 vs 2.1+/-1.0; P=0.007) on a 5-point Likert type scale (from 1--not a single time to 5--always). Respondents with PTSD reported antidepressant (n=52, 51%) or anxyolitics use (n=73, 72.3%). In a subgroup analysis, respondents with PTSD who were taking antidepressants masturbated less frequently than those who were not taking them (1.9+/-1.3 vs 2.5+/-1.6; P=0.039), whereas premature ejaculation was more often experienced by respondents with PTSD who were not taking antidepressants than by those who were taking them (3.5+/-1.8 vs 2.7+/-1.5; P<0.049) both on a 7-point Likert type scale (from 1--not a single time to 7--more times a day). Conclusion. War veterans with PTSD had less sexual activity, hypoactive sexual desire, and erectile difficulties. Antidepressant therapy in veterans with PTSD may be associated with hypoactive sexual desire.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Van der Kolk BA, McFarlane AC, Weisaeth L. Traumatic stress: the effects of overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society. New York (NY): Guilford Press; 1996.
    1. Wilson JP, Friedman MJ, Lindy JD, editors. Treating psychological trauma and PTSD. New York (NY): Guilford Press; 2004.
    1. Britvić D, Antičević V, Kekez V, Lapenda B, Urlić I. Psychodynamic aspects of adaptation and treating psychotrauma: results of a study. Drustvena Istrazivanja. 2007;89:497–513. [in Croatian]
    1. Stulhofer A, Bajic Z. Prevalence of erectile and ejaculatory difficulties among men in Croatia. Croat Med J. 2006;47:114–24. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kotler M, Cohen H, Aizenberg D, Matar M, Loewenthal U, Kaplan Z, et al. Sexual dysfunction in male posttraumatic stress disorder patients. Psychother Psychosom. 2000;69:309–15. doi: 10.1159/000012413. - DOI - PubMed