Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment
ABSTRACT: Introduction: In clinical consultations, men with erectile dysfunction do not always express personal, sexual, and interpersonal concerns. Aim: We explore whether the attenuated impact of erectile dysfunction may be explained by a regulation of negative affect that causes activation of th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University Press
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Sexual Medicine |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2050116121001161 |
| _version_ | 1827888031890145280 |
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| author | Francesc Maestre-Lorén, MSc José A. Castillo-Garayoa, PhD Xavier López-i-Martín, PhD Joaquim Sarquella-Geli, MD Ana Andrés, PhD Ignacio Cifre, PhD |
| author_facet | Francesc Maestre-Lorén, MSc José A. Castillo-Garayoa, PhD Xavier López-i-Martín, PhD Joaquim Sarquella-Geli, MD Ana Andrés, PhD Ignacio Cifre, PhD |
| author_sort | Francesc Maestre-Lorén, MSc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT: Introduction: In clinical consultations, men with erectile dysfunction do not always express personal, sexual, and interpersonal concerns. Aim: We explore whether the attenuated impact of erectile dysfunction may be explained by a regulation of negative affect that causes activation of the attachment system. Methods: The study sample consisted of 69 men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, mean (SD) age 56 (10.83) years. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires to assess erectile dysfunction severity, attachment style, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological symptoms. Main Outcome Measure: The moderating role of attachment between erectile dysfunction and sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological distress was evaluated using multiple linear regression and moderation analysis. Results: All men in the sample had high attachment avoidance, distributed between the dismissive-avoidant (69.6%) and fearful-avoidant (30.4%) substyles, but low levels of psychological symptoms. Despite their erectile dysfunction, 27 patients (39.1%) rated their sexual life as satisfactory, and 46 (66.7%) rated their relationship with their partner as satisfactory. Men with fearful-avoidant attachment reported feeling more sexual desire and less sexual satisfaction than men with dismissive-avoidant attachment. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that sexual satisfaction variance was explained by erectile dysfunction severity, attachment anxiety, and relationship satisfaction scores. Moderation analysis showed that attachment anxiety, but not relationship satisfaction, moderated the impact of erectile dysfunction on sexual satisfaction. Conclusion: The avoidance dimension of attachment, which tends to be high in patients with erectile dysfunction, involves deactivation of the sexual system in an effort to minimize the emotional distress associated with erectile dysfunction, which damages sexual and relationship intimacy and delays the decision to obtain professional help. The presence of high attachment avoidance and the moderating value of attachment anxiety allow us to propose specific treatments for these men.Maestre-Lorén F, Castillo-Garayoa JA, López-i-Martín X, et al. Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment. Sex Med 2021;9:100436. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:27:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1029ef8fdb17442597c5072ced6960f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-1161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:27:59Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sexual Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-1029ef8fdb17442597c5072ced6960f22023-08-02T00:18:05ZengOxford University PressSexual Medicine2050-11612021-10-0195100436Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of AttachmentFrancesc Maestre-Lorén, MSc0José A. Castillo-Garayoa, PhD1Xavier López-i-Martín, PhD2Joaquim Sarquella-Geli, MD3Ana Andrés, PhD4Ignacio Cifre, PhD5Clinical Psychology Department, Fundació Puigvert, Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding Author: Francesc Maestre-Lorén, MSc, Clinical Psychology Department, Fundació Puigvert, Llorens i Barba 66, 08025 Barcelona, Spain.FPCEE Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, SpainFPCEE Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, SpainAndrology Service, Fundació Puigvert, Barcelona, SpainFPCEE Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, SpainFPCEE Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, SpainABSTRACT: Introduction: In clinical consultations, men with erectile dysfunction do not always express personal, sexual, and interpersonal concerns. Aim: We explore whether the attenuated impact of erectile dysfunction may be explained by a regulation of negative affect that causes activation of the attachment system. Methods: The study sample consisted of 69 men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, mean (SD) age 56 (10.83) years. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires to assess erectile dysfunction severity, attachment style, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological symptoms. Main Outcome Measure: The moderating role of attachment between erectile dysfunction and sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological distress was evaluated using multiple linear regression and moderation analysis. Results: All men in the sample had high attachment avoidance, distributed between the dismissive-avoidant (69.6%) and fearful-avoidant (30.4%) substyles, but low levels of psychological symptoms. Despite their erectile dysfunction, 27 patients (39.1%) rated their sexual life as satisfactory, and 46 (66.7%) rated their relationship with their partner as satisfactory. Men with fearful-avoidant attachment reported feeling more sexual desire and less sexual satisfaction than men with dismissive-avoidant attachment. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that sexual satisfaction variance was explained by erectile dysfunction severity, attachment anxiety, and relationship satisfaction scores. Moderation analysis showed that attachment anxiety, but not relationship satisfaction, moderated the impact of erectile dysfunction on sexual satisfaction. Conclusion: The avoidance dimension of attachment, which tends to be high in patients with erectile dysfunction, involves deactivation of the sexual system in an effort to minimize the emotional distress associated with erectile dysfunction, which damages sexual and relationship intimacy and delays the decision to obtain professional help. The presence of high attachment avoidance and the moderating value of attachment anxiety allow us to propose specific treatments for these men.Maestre-Lorén F, Castillo-Garayoa JA, López-i-Martín X, et al. Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment. Sex Med 2021;9:100436.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2050116121001161Erectile DysfunctionAttachmentSexual SatisfactionRelationship SatisfactionPsychological Distress |
| spellingShingle | Francesc Maestre-Lorén, MSc José A. Castillo-Garayoa, PhD Xavier López-i-Martín, PhD Joaquim Sarquella-Geli, MD Ana Andrés, PhD Ignacio Cifre, PhD Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment Sexual Medicine Erectile Dysfunction Attachment Sexual Satisfaction Relationship Satisfaction Psychological Distress |
| title | Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment |
| title_full | Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment |
| title_fullStr | Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment |
| title_short | Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment |
| title_sort | psychological distress in erectile dysfunction the moderating role of attachment |
| topic | Erectile Dysfunction Attachment Sexual Satisfaction Relationship Satisfaction Psychological Distress |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2050116121001161 |
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