Psychosexual Dysfunctions Among Alcohol-Dependent Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Center of Southern India

Abstract

Abstract Background: Chronic alcohol dependence is known to cause psychosexual dysfunction, which leads to marked psychiatric morbidity. There is a dearth of studies from India in this area. Aim: To estimate the frequency of psychosexual dysfunction in individuals with alcohol dependence and to explore the association between psychosexual dysfunction and various socio-demographic and alcohol-related variables. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on 50 male patients in a tertiary care center. The evaluation was conducted using a specially designed intake pro forma and tools such as the severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire, checklist for sexual dysfunction and International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision , and diagnostic criteria for research. Results: Sexual dysfunction was present in 66% of alcohol-dependent individuals. The most common among them was found to be aversion to sex (32%) followed by erectile dysfunction (24%). In most of the cases, patients having erectile dysfunction were also found to have aversion to sex. Conclusion: Sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent in male patients with alcohol dependence. The study highlights the detrimental effects of alcohol on sexual function apart from other etiological factors.