Male sexual health predictors during the Covid-19 outbreak: a multicenter study

Abstract

Abstract Background Pandemic-induced feelings of fear and worry are all psychological implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study was to see how the COVID-19 pandemic affected male Sexual Health and to look for plausible predictors. Methods Married males were asked to fill out an Arabic Sexual Health questionnaire. Before and during the lockdown. Additionally, generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and International Index of Erectile Function-5 questionnaires. Results A multicenter study. The survey was completed by 281 men in total. Only 130 males (47.3%) were satisfied with their Sexual performance before lockdown, compared to 170 males (56.5%) who were not satisfied (P 0.000). Financial issues (P ≤ 0.000), smoking habit prior to lockdown (P ≤ 0.001), spots practice (P ≤ 0.001), smoking during lockdown (P ≤ 0.001), presence of depressive disorder on the PHQ-9 total score (P ≤ 0.001), diagnosis of anxiety on the GAD-7 score (P ≤ 0.001), and presence of ED on the IIEf-5 questionnaire (P ≤ 0.001) were all found to be significant on univariate analysis. On bivariate analysis, financial issues (odds ratio [OR]: 3.56, P ≤ 0.000), presence of anxiety on GAD-7 (OR: 6.40, P ≤ 0.001), PHQ score (OR: 2.50, P ≤ 0.001), and diagnosis of ED on the IIEF-5 scale (OR: 7.50, P ≤ 0.001) were significantly associated with Sexual relationship stress and Sexual Health. Conclusion During and after COVID-19 lockdown, the presence of anxiety on the GAD-7 scale, PHQ score, and the diagnosis of ED on the IIEF-5 scale were all independent predictors of Sexual Health.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Depressive disorder
• Pandemics
• Sexual health