van Woudenberg Clair, Voorendonk Eline M, Tunissen Bo, van Beek Vince H F, Rozendael Linda, Van Minnen Agnes, De Jongh Ad
Research Department, PSYTREC, Bilthoven, Netherlands.
Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Front Psychol. 2023 Aug 8;14:1191916. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1191916. eCollection 2023.
Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experience sexual disturbances.
To determine whether intensive trauma-focused treatment is associated with an improvement in sexual functioning (i.e., sexual satisfaction and sexual desire) in individuals with PTSD.
In total, 227 patients with PTSD (68.7% women, mean age = 40.97) participated in an intensive eight-day trauma-focused treatment program consisting of prolonged exposure, eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, physical activity, and psychoeducation. Patients were assessed (i.e., Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and Sexual Functioning Questionnaire) pre- and post-treatment and at 6-months follow-up.
Sexual satisfaction and sexual desire increased significantly associated with trauma-focused treatment from pre-treatment to 6-months follow-up, albeit the effect sizes were small (Cohen's 0.39 and 0.17, respectively). Although men reported greater overall sexual desire than women, sexual functioning improved after treatment in both men and women. Furthermore, those with remission of PTSD reported greater sexual functioning post-treatment and at 6-months follow-up, than those without remission. However, changes in PTSD symptoms associated with treatment were not predictive of the level of sexual satisfaction or sexual desire 6 months after treatment.
The results of this uncontrolled study suggest that intensive treatment for PTSD can have beneficial effects on sexual satisfaction and desire in both men and women; however, this may not necessarily be due to a decrease in PTSD symptoms.
创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）患者常经历性功能障碍。
确定针对创伤的强化治疗是否与PTSD患者性功能（即性满意度和性欲）的改善相关。
共有227名PTSD患者（68.7%为女性，平均年龄=40.97岁）参加了为期八天的针对创伤的强化治疗项目，该项目包括延长暴露、眼动脱敏再处理（EMDR）疗法、体育活动和心理教育。在治疗前、治疗后及6个月随访时对患者进行评估（即临床医生管理的PTSD量表和性功能问卷）。
从治疗前到6个月随访，与针对创伤的治疗相关，性满意度和性欲显著增加，尽管效应量较小（科恩效应量分别为0.39和0.17）。虽然男性报告的总体性欲高于女性，但治疗后男性和女性的性功能均有所改善。此外，PTSD缓解的患者在治疗后及6个月随访时的性功能比未缓解的患者更好。然而，与治疗相关的PTSD症状变化并不能预测治疗6个月后的性满意度或性欲水平。
这项非对照研究的结果表明，PTSD的强化治疗对男性和女性的性满意度和性欲都有有益影响；然而，这不一定是由于PTSD症状的减轻。
