SEXUAL FUNCTIONING FOLLOWING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

In this study we investigated sexual functioning in 52 outpatients wit h a history of traumatic brain injury to determine: (1) the prevalence of reported sexual dysfunction; and (2) the relationship between sexu al functioning and age, severity and locus of injury, time since injur y, and physical and cognitive function. Reports of sexual functioning indicated a reduction below levels within non-injured populations, but only to statistically significant levels on two scales of the Derogat is Interview of Sexual Function (DISF): Orgasm and Drive/Desire. Locat ion of injury was related to sexuality in that patients with frontal l obe lesions reported an overall higher level of sexual satisfaction an d functioning than those individuals without frontal lobe lesions. Tim e since injury was inversely related to reports of levels of sexual ar ousal; that is, patients with more recent injuries reported greater le vels of arousal than those not recently injured. Right hemisphere inju ries also correlated with higher scores on reports of sexual arousal a nd sexual experiences.