Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and types of sexual difficulties in men
and women with traumatic brain injury (TBI) 1 year after injury, as well as their
comfort level in discussing problems with health care professionals. DESIGN:
Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Persons with TBI
(N=223; 165 men and 58 women) who had been treated at 1 of 6 participating TBI
Model Systems inpatient rehabilitation units and were living in the community.
INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Derogatis Interview for Sexual
Functioning-self-report (DISF-SR); Global Sexual Satisfaction Index (GSSI);
structured interview regarding changes in sexual functioning; and comfort level
discussing sexuality with health care professionals. RESULTS: Women with TBI
scored significantly below the normative sample for all subscales of the DISF-SR,
including sexual cognition/fantasy, arousal, sexual behavior/experience, and
orgasm. Men scored significantly below the normative sample on all scales except
arousal. Women reported greater dysfunction than men for sexual cognition/fantasy
and arousal. Twenty-nine percent of participants reported dissatisfaction with
sexual functioning on the GSSI, with a greater percentage of men reporting
dissatisfaction. Sixty-eight percent of participants indicated that they would
spontaneously raise issues of sexual difficulties with health care professionals,
while the remainder would either bring it up only if directly asked or would not
discuss it at all. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual difficulties were present in a substantial
portion of community-dwelling people with TBI at 1 year after injury. Educational
interventions to increase awareness among people with TBI and rehabilitation
professionals are warranted, as well as interventions to improve sexual functioning.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS