Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
J Sex Med. 2020 Dec;17(12):2408-2416. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.09.004. Epub 2020 Oct 14.
Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) is a highly distressing, understudied condition characterized by persistent genital arousal (eg, genital sensations, sensitivity) in the absence of sexual desire. Currently, there is limited information about the prevalence of PGAD based on its proposed diagnostic criteria ("PGAD criteria").
This study sought to assess the prevalence of PGAD criteria in 2 North American samples: a large, non-clinical sample of Canadian undergraduate students (Study 1), and a nationally representative sample from the U.S. (Study 2).
The incoming class of undergraduate students (N = 1,634) enrolled in the Introduction to Psychology course at a Canadian university and a nationally representative sample of U.S. participants (N = 1,026) responded to questions about each PGAD criterion, and distress associated with these experiences.
5 self-report questions were developed based on each of the Leiblum and Nathan 2001 PGAD criteria, and a measure of associated distress was included. The U.S. sample (Study 2) also responded to questions about medical comorbidities and their knowledge of the term "PGAD."
1.1% (n = 4; Study 1) to 4.3% (n = 22; Study 2) of men and 0.6% (n = 7; Study 1) to 2.7% (n = 14; Study 2) of women reported experiencing all 5 PGAD criteria at a moderate to high frequency. Even greater proportions of participants reported experiencing all 5 criteria at any frequency (6.8-18.8%). Although ratings of associated distress varied, participants who were distressed by these symptoms most frequently endorsed the first PGAD criterion: physiological genital arousal in the absence of sexual excitement or desire. These results are similar to previously reported rates of PGAD.
A non-trivial number of individuals may experience PGAD, and it should be screened for by healthcare practitioners.
STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: This study is the first to use 2 large, non-clinical samples to assess the prevalence of PGAD symptoms. However, barriers to reporting symptoms, such as shame or embarrassment, may have resulted in underestimates of prevalence in the present sample.
The prevalence of the 5 PGAD criteria in 2 large non-clinical samples ranged from similar to higher than rates reported in previous research. However, distress ratings associated with each of the 5 criteria varied, with most respondents describing them primarily as neutral or non-distressing. Jackowich RA, Pukall CF. Prevalence of Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder in 2 North American Samples. J Sex Med 2020;17:2408-2416.
持续性生殖器觉醒障碍（PGAD）是一种高度痛苦、研究不足的疾病，其特征为生殖器持续觉醒（例如生殖器感觉、敏感度）而无性欲。目前，根据其提出的诊断标准（“PGAD 标准”），关于 PGAD 的患病率的信息有限。
本研究旨在评估 2 个北美样本中 PGAD 标准的患病率：加拿大一所大学的大量非临床本科学生样本（研究 1）和美国的全国代表性样本（研究 2）。
加拿大大学心理学入门课程的新生班（N=1634）和美国全国代表性样本（N=1026）的参与者回答了关于每个 PGAD 标准以及与这些经历相关的痛苦的问题。
根据 Leiblum 和 Nathan 2001 年的 PGAD 标准中的每一个标准制定了 5 个自我报告问题，并包括与相关痛苦的衡量标准。美国样本（研究 2）还回答了关于医学合并症及其对“PGAD”一词的了解的问题。
1.1%（n=4；研究 1）至 4.3%（n=22；研究 2）的男性和 0.6%（n=7；研究 1）至 2.7%（n=14；研究 2）的女性报告以中度至高度频率经历所有 5 个 PGAD 标准。甚至有更多的参与者报告以任何频率（6.8-18.8%）经历所有 5 个标准。尽管相关痛苦的评分各不相同，但对这些症状感到痛苦的参与者最常认可第一个 PGAD 标准：在没有性兴奋或欲望的情况下出现生理生殖器觉醒。这些结果与之前报告的 PGAD 发生率相似。
相当数量的个体可能患有 PGAD，医疗保健从业者应进行筛查。
本研究是首次使用 2 个大型非临床样本评估 PGAD 症状的患病率。然而，由于羞耻或尴尬等报告症状的障碍，目前的样本可能低估了患病率。
在 2 个大型非临床样本中，5 个 PGAD 标准的患病率与以前的研究报告的发生率相似或更高。然而，与 5 个标准中的每一个相关的痛苦评分都有所不同，大多数受访者主要将其描述为中性或非痛苦。Jackowich RA，Pukall CF。2 个北美样本中持续性生殖器觉醒障碍的患病率。性医学杂志 2020；17：2408-2416。
