| Prevalence |
According to one survey of 1065 female and 447 male patients in a general medical practice, 22% of the men and 40% of the women had a “sexual dysfunction” in the preceding 4 weeks (Nazareth et al., 2003), and other studies find similar results (Shifren et al., 2008). However, the true prevalence of sexual dysfunctions is difficult to determine: Many surveys either equate sexual dissatisfaction—for any reason—with sexual dysfunction or use criteria that are different from those in DSM-5. |
| Comorbidity |
People with sexual dysfunctions may also have a co-occurring mood or anxiety disorder (Atlantis & Sullivan, 2012; Fabre & Smith, 2012) or medical disorder (Tan et al., 2012). |
| Onset |
A sexual dysfunction may arise from specific circumstances, or it may be lifelong. |
| Course |
As women age, sexual problems other than desire problems tend to decrease, except for hormonally induced lubrication problems. The opposite is true for men: As they age, their sexual problems tend to increase, usually because of erectile difficulties that are associated with prostate problems, cardiovascular problems, or other medical causes (Hackett, 2008; Heiman, 2002b). |
| Gender Differences |
In one study, the most common problems among men were lack of interest, premature ejaculation, and performance anxiety. Among women the most common problems were failure to achieve orgasm and painful intercourse. |
| Cultural Differences |
Cultural norms about sexuality affect the extent to which a sexual problem leads to enough distress or relationship difficulties for it to be considered a disorder (Hartley, 2006). For example, Japanese women have a low prevalence of problems with sexual desire, perhaps because Japanese women do not consider no or little sexual desire to be a problem (Kameya, 2001). |
| Source: Unless otherwise noted, the source for the table material is American Psychiatric Association, 2013. |