First local study on impact of ED on spouse reveals psychological morbidities
22 Jan 2024
bySaras Ramiya
Psychological morbidities have been shown to be more prevalent among women whose spouse had ED compared to the general population.Erectile dysfunction (ED) not only affects patients but also their spouse, as shown in the first such local study. [Malays Fam Physician 2023;18:44]*
The study conducted by a team of family medicine specialists showed that the prevalence of psychological morbidities was 28.7 percent among 115 women whose husbands had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and ED. Depression, anxiety, and stress were the top three psychological morbidities. The cross-sectional study involved a self-administered questionnaire, which included the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), other health-related information, marital and sexual history, and the perception of ED in spouse. DASS-21 is a set of three self-report scales designed to measure depression, anxiety and stress.
Most respondents were of middle age, more than half were employed, and most had a low income. About half of the respondents had T2DM and hypertension while more than three-quarters led inactive lifestyles with an average of two or fewer sessions of physical activity in a week. Almost all respondents engaged in sexual intercourse (SI) in the previous month with most having SI one to two times per week and only about 20 percent having SI three or more times per week. While the majority of respondents had moderate-to-high interest in SI, about three-quarters sensed that their husband did not have ED.
The information obtained through the study is valuable because of the potential in acknowledging the psychological impact of ED on the spouses of patients and provide management for the psychological stressors. It is usually challenging to determine such an impact in medical practice due to the social taboo associated with discussing sexual problems with anyone outside of marriage.
The study findings highlight that Malaysian women are affected by their husband’s ED, and education on ED is important as many women thought that their husbands did not have ED. If women knew that ED is associated with T2DM and may become worse with inadequate treatment, they are more likely to sway their husband into seeking medical help. The connection between chronic illness and anxiety is also the focus of this study since chronic illness such as T2DM and hypertension was found to be significantly associated with anxiety. Chronic illness is seen as burden to middle-aged people in addition to challenges presented by employment, marriage, and parenting, thus resulting in anxiety, wrote the study authors.
“Even though this study did not show any significant association between the sexual factors and psychological morbidities among the spouses of men with ED, the possibility should not be dismissed. As their husband’s ED might be mild and did not negatively affect their sexual functioning, further studies are needed to assess these psychological effects among spouses of men with various severities of ED,” they added.
Psychological morbidities have been shown to be more prevalent among women whose spouse had ED compared to the general population. Women tended to presume they could not satisfy their husband sexually resulting in anxiety, guilt and feeling like a failure. This situation may also cause a communication issue in addition to diminished quality of life.