Erectile Dysfunction in War Veterans in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Abstract

Results of previous studies suggest that people with traumatic experiences frequently have sexual problems. This study aimed to assess erectile function in war veterans. One hundred and five war veterans were tested using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). They were divided into two groups; those with symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and those without, measured with the HTQ. We tested war veterans that hadn"t been using psychotropic or other medications that could cause sexual dysfunction and who did not have either a physical or psychological disease and were not alcohol or drug addicts. The average age of the group tested was 40.84±5.94 years. All participants had had a sexual partner for longer than 6 months. We found that 67.6% of all tested veterans showed below normal erectile function. Average results of erectile function in both groups were 22.10±5.73 as measured by the IIEF. Participants without PTSD symptoms had significantly better results of erectile functioning (χ²=44.62, p=0.001). There was a significant negative corrrelation (p<0.01) between the intensity of PTSD symptoms of intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal and the intensity of sexual dysfunction as measured by the IIEF. War veterans with more intensive symptoms of PTSD and a higher number of traumatic experiences have more problems with sexual functioning.