PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF SEXUAL PROBLEMS IN COMBAT VETERANS WITH PTSD

This study evaluated the potential relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sexual problems. The Golombok Rust Inventor y of Sexual Satisfaction was mailed to combat veterans currently in tr eatment at an outpatient PTSD clinic. Completed questionnaires were re ceived from 90 patients. Results indicated that over 80% of subjects w ere experiencing clinically relevant sexual difficulties Impotence and premature ejaculation were the most frequently reported problems that have corresponding psychological diagnoses. The rates of sexual probl ems for this sample of veterans with PTSD was similar to those reporte d in other studies and exceeded rates of similar problems found in sam ples from community samples. These data suggest that PTSD may be a ris k factor for sexual problems.