Dospělová Paula, Šustová Petra, Zakreski Ellen, Androvičová Renáta
First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Kateřinská 1660/32,121 08, Prague, Czech Republic.
Centre for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic.
Sex Med. 2025 Feb 6;13(1):qfaf002. doi: 10.1093/sexmed/qfaf002. eCollection 2025 Feb.
BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia frequently encounter challenges related to sexuality and intimacy; however, the underlying causes of these difficulties remain unknown and unexplored. AIM: This narrative review aims to explore how the biological/hormonal and psychological/behavioral developmental trajectories in schizophrenia patients deviate from the normal course and to examine their connection to difficulties in sexual and romantic functioning. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar, with key terms related to schizophrenia and sexual development without restriction on publication year. Articles discussing behavioral, sexual, or psychological/behavioral development before the onset of schizophrenia were included. Articles were divided into biological/hormonal and psychological/behavioral precursor categories. Additional searches were conducted to explore the broader sociocognitive context of schizophrenia, such as deficits in empathy, emotional processing, and theory of mind. OUTCOMES: The review highlights deviations in both biological/hormonal and psychological/behavioral development in schizophrenia that contribute to difficulties in romantic and sexual relationships. RESULTS: This narrative review addresses the extent to which biological, psychological, and social factors in schizophrenia may be closely intertwined. Abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes have been documented in individuals with schizophrenia, potentially impairing sociosexual competencies and leading to behavioral challenges in forming sexual relationships. Deficits in theory of mind, emotional processing, and empathy may further hinder the ability to form and sustain intimate relationships, amplifying the social difficulties associated with schizophrenia. Additionally, early life traumas, especially sexual abuse, can contribute to sexual difficulties and worsen the disorder. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: Understanding the deviations from the normal developmental course in schizophrenia patients may offer valuable insights for potential intervention strategies and remediation approaches and contribute to improvements in sexual/romantic functioning and overall sexual health in schizophrenia patients. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: This review provides an overview of the developmental precursors of schizophrenia-related sexual/romantic difficulties. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying these difficulties, particularly in determining the emotional and motivational salience of sexual stimuli and the capacity to engage in and maintain communication of sexual interest. The reader should bear in mind that narrative reviews lack systematic methods for selecting and evaluating studies, which can lead to author bias in choosing or interpreting sources. CONCLUSION: The narrative review identified deviations in the biological/hormonal and psychological/behavioral developmental trajectories of schizophrenia patients, linking these abnormalities to difficulties in sexual and romantic functioning, and highlighting the need for sexological remediation strategies to improve sociosexual competencies and overall sexual health.
背景:精神分裂症患者经常面临与性和亲密关系相关的挑战;然而,这些困难的潜在原因仍然未知且未被探索。 目的:本叙述性综述旨在探讨精神分裂症患者的生物/激素以及心理/行为发展轨迹如何偏离正常进程,并研究它们与性和浪漫功能方面困难的联系。 方法:使用PubMed和谷歌学术进行全面的文献检索,关键词为与精神分裂症和性发育相关的内容,对出版年份无限制。纳入讨论精神分裂症发病前行为、性或心理/行为发展的文章。文章分为生物/激素和心理/行为前驱类别。还进行了额外检索以探索精神分裂症更广泛的社会认知背景,如同理心、情绪处理和心理理论方面的缺陷。 结果:该综述强调了精神分裂症患者在生物/激素和心理/行为发展方面的偏差,这些偏差导致了浪漫和性关系方面的困难。 结果:本叙述性综述阐述了精神分裂症中的生物、心理和社会因素可能紧密交织的程度。已记录到精神分裂症患者下丘脑 - 垂体 - 性腺轴和下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺轴存在异常,这可能损害社交性能力,并导致在建立性关系时出现行为挑战。心理理论、情绪处理和同理心方面的缺陷可能进一步阻碍建立和维持亲密关系的能力,加剧与精神分裂症相关的社会困难。此外,早期生活创伤,尤其是性虐待,可能导致性方面的困难并使病情恶化。 临床转化:了解精神分裂症患者与正常发育进程的偏差可能为潜在的干预策略和补救方法提供有价值的见解,并有助于改善精神分裂症患者的性/浪漫功能和整体性健康。 优点和局限性:本综述概述了与精神分裂症相关的性/浪漫困难的发育前驱因素。需要进一步研究以阐明这些困难背后的具体机制,特别是确定性刺激的情感和动机显著性以及参与和维持性兴趣交流的能力。读者应牢记,叙述性综述缺乏选择和评估研究的系统方法,这可能导致作者在选择或解释资料来源时产生偏差。 结论:该叙述性综述确定了精神分裂症患者在生物/激素和心理/行为发展轨迹上的偏差,将这些异常与性和浪漫功能方面的困难联系起来,并强调需要性学补救策略来提高社交性能力和整体性健康。
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