Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Subjective (SA) and genital arousal (GA) levels are highly correlated in sexually functional men; few studies, however, have examined this relationship in sexually dysfunctional men. Research has also yet to identify whether men with desire versus arousal disorders can be differentiated based on their psychophysiological patterns of arousal. The goal of this study was to compare patterns of SA and GA in a community sample of men meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), erectile dysfunction (ED), both HSDD and ED, and healthy controls. Sixty-two men (16 controls, 9 HSDD, 23 ED, 14 combined), aged 20-48, completed a sexual diagnostic interview, and watched two film clips (neutral and erotic), while genital temperature was recorded with a thermal imaging camera, and SA was measured both continuously and discretely. Results revealed strong, positive relationships between SA and GA for all groups during the erotic film; weaker relationships, however, were found for those with HSDD and HSDD/ ED. Results also indicated an increase in genital temperature for controls and HSDD men during the erotic film; there was no significant change in genital temperature for those with ED and with HSDD/ ED. Overall, HSDD/ ED men showed significantly lower average genital temperature during the erotic film, and less change in temperature during the neutral film than controls. All groups reported increases in SA during the erotic film, except for those with HSDD/ ED for whom SA did not significantly change. Finally, those with HSDD showed greater change in SA during the neutral film than other groups. Results converge with previous findings on SA-GA concordance in healthy men, and reveal unique patterns of response for those with sexual difficulties, with those in the HSDD/ ED group showing greatest impairment. Implications for conceptualization, diagnosis and treatment of these disorders will be discussed, and comparisons with women will be made.