The role of anxiety in sexual dysfunctions: a review

Abstract

Studies are reviewed which (a) compare anxiety and other measures of psychopathology between normals and dysfunctionals ; (b) evaluate the effectiveness of anxiety reduction procedures for treating sexual dysfunctions; and (c) try to identify anxiety-related stimuli that alter sexual arousal. The studies, in general, suggest that (a) anxiety is common among people with sexual dysfunctions, but that the level and nature of the anxiety may vary greatly between individuals; (b) anxiety reduction procedures improve some, but probably not all, aspects of sexual dysfunctions; and (c) recent research has begun to identify some anxiety-related factors that can disrupt sexual arousal.