Posttraumatic Stress and Sexual Satisfaction in Husbands and Wives: A Dyadic Analysis

Iranian Men's Sexual Life Issues After Their Wives' Burn: A Qualitative Content Analysis Study

Physical and psychological complications of burn injuries reduce the victims' sexual quality of life and challenge their partners' sexual satisfaction. There is no information about men's sexual issues and behaviors. Previous studies did not address the impact of women's burns on their husbands' sexual lives. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to characterize the sexual experiences of Iranian men after their wives' burns. The study was performed on 16 men with surviving spouses of major burn using criterion-based purposive sampling. Semistructured interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. The results showed men's sexual issues with three main themes and eight subthemes: 1) sexual desire restrictors (annoying scars, imposing roles, and wives' sexual coldness), 2) degradation of marital sex (reduced frequency of sexual intercourses, temptation of extramarital affairs), and 3) effort to maintain sex (sexual self-sacrifice, sexual pretending, sexual precautions). According to men's experiences, female sexual coldness, temptation for extramarital affairs, and sexual pretense were related to couples' poor knowledge of sexual discourse. Thus, health professionals can use context-oriented educational program to promote the couples' sexual knowledge and health after burns.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and relationship functioning: Examining gender differences in treatment-seeking veteran couples

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are robustly associated with intimate relationship dysfunction among veterans, but most existing research has focused on male veterans and their female partners. Links between PTSD and relationship functioning may differ between female-veteran couples and male-veteran couples. The current study used actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) to test the associations between PTSD symptoms (i.e., veteran self-report or significant others' collateral-report) and each partner's reports of six domains of relationship functioning, as well as whether these links were moderated by the gender composition of the couple. Data were from 197 mixed-gender couples (N = 394 individuals) who completed baseline assessments for a larger randomized controlled trial of a couple-based PTSD treatment. Significant others' collateral PTSD reports were associated with their own ratings of relationship satisfaction, negotiation, psychological aggression, sexual pleasure, and sexual desire frequency, |β|s = .19-.67, and with veterans' ratings of negotiation and sexual desire frequency, |β|s = .20-.48. In contrast, veterans' self-reported PTSD symptoms were only associated with their own ratings of psychological aggression, β = .16. Gender moderated the associations between significant others' collateral PTSD reports and five of the six outcome variables; findings from exploratory subgroup analyses suggested links between reported PTSD symptoms and relationship functioning were generally more maladaptive for male-veteran couples, whereas female veterans showed more neutral or even helpful impacts of higher partner-perceived PTSD symptoms. These findings have implications for clinicians treating relational impacts of PTSD and emphasize the need for further research with female-veteran couples.

Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Sexual Difficulties: A Systematic Review of Veterans and Military Personnel

BACKGROUND

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with sexual difficulties but the nuances of this relationship remain elusive. Research has increased in recent years, most notably following publication of several reviews in 2015.

AIM

This systematic review examines the relationship between PTSD and sexual difficulties in veterans/military personnel.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines in PsycINFO and PubMed databases for studies examining a diagnosis of PTSD or PTSD severity in relation to a range of sexual difficulties. Forty-three studies were identified that met inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review.

RESULTS

PTSD was associated with increased risk of experiencing at least one sexual difficulty. PTSD was most clearly associated with overall sexual function, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and sexual distress. Results were mixed for sexual arousal, orgasm function, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, sexual pain, and frequency of sexual activity. PTSD symptom clusters of avoidance and negative alterations in cognition/mood were most commonly associated sexual difficulties. Few studies compared results by gender and trauma type.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Clinicians should inquire about sexual health in relation to PTSD symptoms and target avoidance and negative mood symptoms by incorporating sexual exposure assignments and sexual activation exercises when appropriate.

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS

This systematic review synthesizes an extensive literature that has grown substantially in the past 5 years and includes studies with low to moderate risk of bias. Limitations of the existing literature include challenges differentiating between PTSD and depression, inconsistent measurement of PTSD and trauma histories, inconsistent operationalization and measurement of sexual outcomes, and largely cross-sectional study designs.

CONCLUSION

PTSD is linked to a range of sexual outcomes. The current literature suggests that PTSD is associated with sexual difficulties related to both the sexual response cycle (ie, sexual desire) and one's emotional relationship to sexual activity (eg, sexual distress). More research is needed to increase confidence in findings. Bird ER, Piccirillo M, Garcia N, et al. Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Sexual Difficulties: A Systematic Review of Veterans and Military Personnel. J Sex Med 2021;18:1398-1426.