PHYSIOLOGICAL-PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF A DISTRACTING TASK AND GENITAL SELF-STIMULATION IN WOMEN WITH COMPLETE SPINAL-CORD INJURIES

Objective: To compare the physiological sexual responses of women with complete spinal cord injuries (SCI) with those of able-bodied women. Design: Controlled laboratory-based analysis of responses to a distrac ting task coupled with manual genital stimulation versus masturbation. Setting: The sexual physiology laboratory at our free-standing rehabi litation hospital. Participants: A volunteer sample of 10 women with c omplete SCI along with 10 able-bodied women, matched for age and educa tional status. Interventions: A 78-minute protocol using 6-minute base lines alternating with 12-minute testing conditions. Dependent variabl es: Vaginal pulse amplitude, subjective arousal, heart rate, respirato ry rate, and blood pressure. Results: Subjective sexual arousal increa sed in able-bodied women with manual genital stimulation in conjunctio n with performance of a distracting task and was further augmented by removal of the distracting task and continuing with masturbation. In c ontrast, complete SCI subjects did not demonstrate increased subjectiv e arousal with performance of the distracting task in conjunction with manual genital stimulation; however, they did evidence significant in creases in arousal when the distracting task was eliminated. Conclusio ns: Genital responses tended to parallel subjective responses in able- bodied women; however, women with SCI revealed nonsignificant changes in genital responses throughout the treatment protocol. It is hypothes ized that the genital and subjective responses of able-bodied subjects reflect the additive components of reflex and then psychogenic sexual arousal. Furthermore, the lack of responsivity in the SCI subjects wa s thought to be related to compromised upper extremity function in the majority of our subjects. Further work is necessary to validate these hypotheses. (C) 1996 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medic ine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation