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Observational Study
. 2021 Apr;53(3):e13971.
doi: 10.1111/and.13971. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

The effect of COVID-19 epidemic on the sexual function of healthcare professionals

Ender Cem Bulut  1 , Kasım Ertaş  2 , Dilek Bulut  3 , Murat Yavuz Koparal  4 , Serhat Çetin  5
Affiliations
Observational Study

The effect of COVID-19 epidemic on the sexual function of healthcare professionals

Ender Cem Bulut et al. Andrologia. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Studies have shown that healthcare professionals struggling with epidemics develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim of this study is to show how often and severely erectile dysfunction, one of the components of post-traumatic stress disorder, is seen among healthcare professionals during COVID-19 outbreak. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) were applied to 159 male healthcare professionals working in COVID-19 units and a control group of 200 people. Healthcare professional group was divided into subgroups according to occupation (physician, nurse), age-group (18-25, 26-30, >30), marital status and unit of work (Suspected Patient Area, Diagnosed Patient Area). Both stress disorder and erectile dysfunction were seen at higher rates in healthcare professionals group (p < .001). The median IIEF-5 scores of nurses, married subjects and those working in the Diagnosed Patient Area, were found to be higher (p < .001, p = .014, p = .011 respectively). During the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare professionals are exposed to psychological trauma and their sexual function may be negatively affected. The measures to be taken are important to estimate which groups are more affected.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; erectile dysfunction; healthcare professional; post-traumatic stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors certify that they have no conflict of interest with any financial organisation regarding the material discussed in the manuscript.

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