Erectile Dysfunction Affecting a Couple Sexual issues that manifest within an individual or both individuals in a relationship, not only impact the individual themselves, but also the relationship. These issues can lead to feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, anxiety, as well as be a factor in the development of negative and detrimental behavior patterns between the individuals in the relationship (Wetchler & Hecker, 2015. In this paper, the author will discuss a sexual issue found within the male population: erectile dysfunction (ED). An exploration of the potential impacts of ED on a couple will be examined. Lastly, this paper will investigate the correlation between ED and its effect on the sexual life cycle of a relationship.
Erectile Dysfunction ED, by definition, is when a male cannot obtain an erection and/or maintain it long enough to engage in sexual intercourse or sexual activity (Aghighi, Grigoryan, & Delvar, 2015). While ED is typically considered to be a biological and organic disorder, there is evidence that …show more content…
Rosen, Heiman, Long, Fisher, and Sand (2016) found that in both males experiencing ED, as well as their partners, there was both reduced happiness and sexual satisfaction reported. However, they did find that happiness and sexual satisfaction, while affected, were reported at a lesser rate in women than the men experiencing ED. It is important to note that in long-term committed/married couples, ED did not play a role in overall relationship satisfaction, due to other forms of intimacy and behavioral changes made due to the presence of ED (Rosen, Heiman, Long, Fisher, & Sand, 2016). It appears to the author that the greater impact on the couple would be the combination of both ED and comorbid, untreated psychiatric diagnoses. Presenting symptoms and demonstrations of depression or anxiety could affect relationship quality, only expounding the impact on sexual satisfaction caused by
Erectile Dysfunction ED, by definition, is when a male cannot obtain an erection and/or maintain it long enough to engage in sexual intercourse or sexual activity (Aghighi, Grigoryan, & Delvar, 2015). While ED is typically considered to be a biological and organic disorder, there is evidence that …show more content…
Rosen, Heiman, Long, Fisher, and Sand (2016) found that in both males experiencing ED, as well as their partners, there was both reduced happiness and sexual satisfaction reported. However, they did find that happiness and sexual satisfaction, while affected, were reported at a lesser rate in women than the men experiencing ED. It is important to note that in long-term committed/married couples, ED did not play a role in overall relationship satisfaction, due to other forms of intimacy and behavioral changes made due to the presence of ED (Rosen, Heiman, Long, Fisher, & Sand, 2016). It appears to the author that the greater impact on the couple would be the combination of both ED and comorbid, untreated psychiatric diagnoses. Presenting symptoms and demonstrations of depression or anxiety could affect relationship quality, only expounding the impact on sexual satisfaction caused by