A Survey of Male Sexual Functioning in the General Population in the Northern Netherlands

Article Sidebar

PDF Download
Published Jun 16, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v9i6.2469

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Submit your own article

Register as an author to reserve your spot in the next issue of the Medical Research Archives.

Author Registration

Join the Society

The European Society of Medicine is more than a professional association. We are a community. Our members work in countries across the globe, yet are united by a common goal: to promote health and health equity, around the world.

Join Europe’s leading medical society and discover the many advantages of membership, including free article publication.

Membership

Main Article Content

Ellen Lammerink
Medical Center Leeuwarden
Truuske de Bock
University Medical Center Groningen Department of Epidemiology, PO Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
Andre van Beek
University Medical Center Groningen Department of Endocrinology, PO Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
Fons van den Bergh
University Medical Center Groningen Department of Radiation Oncology, PO Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
Marian Mourits
University Medical Center Groningen Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Groningen, PO Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands

Abstract

Aim. To describe age-related male sexual functioning in a representative Dutch general population using internationally accepted and validated questionnaires.


Material and Methods. A random selection of 1404 men from the general populations in the Netherlands were asked to participate. Men primarily completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), but also provide medical history, details of daily activities, the Body Image Scale, the SF-36 Health Survey, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Participants’ representativeness was assessed by comparison with data from the Dutch Central Agency for Statistics and the Dutch Health Monitor. Main outcome measurements were the age-related domain scores of the IIEF.


Results. Responses were obtained from 333 of 1404 men (24%). Participant characteristics were broadly comparable to those of the Dutch population, except for underreporting homosexuals, immigrants, age <40 years and mid-level educations. Overall, 39% of respondents were sexually inactive, and inactivity increased significantly with advancing age. All IIEF domain scores decreased markedly with increasing age, except for overall satisfaction. The prevalence rates of mild and severe erectile dysfunction were 22% and 5%, respectively, and both increased significantly with advancing age.


Conclusion. Four of the IIEF domain scores (i.e., erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, and intercourse satisfaction) decrease with increasing age, whereas the overall satisfaction domain scores remain stable throughout life.

Keywords: Sexual functioning, age-related sexual functioning, sexual dysfunction, sexual satisfaction, male, general population

Article Details

How to Cite
LAMMERINK, Ellen et al. A Survey of Male Sexual Functioning in the General Population in the Northern Netherlands. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 9, n. 6, june 2021. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/2469>. Date accessed: 24 apr. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v9i6.2469.
ABNT APA BibTeX CBE EndNote - EndNote format (Macintosh & Windows) MLA ProCite - RIS format (Macintosh & Windows) RefWorks Reference Manager - RIS format (Windows only) Turabian
Issue
Vol 9 No 6 (2021): Vol.9 Issue 6, June,2021
Section
Research Articles

The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.

 

References

1. Kinsey AC, Pomeroy WB and Martin CE. Sexual behaviour in the human male. Philadelphia: Pa: WB Saunders: 1948: 610-666.
2. NIH Consensus Development Panel on Impotence: Impotence. JAMA 270: 83-90, 1993.
3. Prins J, Blanker MH, Bohnen AM, Thomas S, Bosch JL. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction: a systematic review of population-based studies. Int J Impot Res. 2002;14:422-32. 27.
4. Lammerink EAG, de Bock GH, Pascal A, van Beek AP, van den Bergh ACM, Sattler MGA et al. A Survey of Female Sexual Functioning in the General Dutch Population. J Sex Med. 2017 Jul;14(7):937-949.
5. Rosen R, Riley A. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): A multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction. Urology, 1997, 49: 822-830
6. Rosen RC, Cappelleri JC, Gendrano III N. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): a state-of-the-science review. Int J Impot Res. 2002 Aug; 14(4): 226-44.
7. Aaronson NK, Muller M, Cohen PD, Essink-Bot ML, Fekkes M, Sanderman R et al. Translation, validation, and norming of the Dutch language version of the SF-36 Health Survey in community and chronic disease populations. J Clin Epidemiol 1998;51(11):1055-68.
8. Zigmond AS, Snaith RP. The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1983;67(6):361-70.
9. Hopwood P, Fletcher I, Lee A, Al Ghazal S. A body image scale for use with cancer patients. Eur J Cancer 2001;37(2):189-97.
10. Smets EM, Garssen B, Bonke B, De Haes JC. J Psychosom Res 1995;39(3):315-25
11. CBS Statline. http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb, period 2012. Internetsite consulted on 11-01-2014.
12. Gezondheidsmonitor. www.nationaalkompas.nl, period 2012. Internetsite consulted on 03-10-2013.
13. Schwarz R, Krauss O, Hinz A. Fatigue in the general population. Onkologie 2003;26(2):140-4.
14. Hinz A, Brähler E. Normative values for the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) in the general German population. J Psychosom Res 2011;71(2):74-8.
15. Rosen RC, Allen KR, Ni X, Araujo AB. Minimal clinically important differences in the erectile function domain oft he International Index of Erectile Function scale. Eur Urol. 2011 Nov;60(5): 1010-6.
16. Feldman HA, Goldstein I, Hatzichristou DG, Krane RJ, McKinlay JB. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. J Urol. 1994;151:54-61.
17. Lewis RW, Fugl-Meyer KS. Definitions, classification and epidemiology of sexual dysfunction. In: Sexual Medicine, eds Lue TF, Basson R, Rosen R, Giuliano F, Khoury S, Montorsi F. Paris: Health Publications, 2004:51-6.
18. Eardly I. The Incidence, Prevalence, and Natural History of Erectile Dysfunction. Sex Med Rev. 2013 May;1(1):3-16.
19. Rutgers 2017. Seksuele gezondheid in Nederland. https://www.rutgers.nl/sites/rutgersnl/files/PDF-Onderzoek/Seksuele_Gezondheid_in_NL_2017_23012018.pdf
20. Galea S, Tracy M. Participation rates in epidemiologic studies. Ann Epidemiol. 2007 Sep;17(9):643-53.
21. Klijs B, Scholtens S, Mandemakers JJ, Snieder H, Stolk RP, Smidt N. Representativeness of the LifeLines Cohort Study. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 2;10(9).
22. Dunne MP, Martin NG, Bailey JM, Heath AC, Bucholz KK, Madden PA et al. Participation bias in a sexuality survey: psychological and behavioural characteristics of responders and non-responders. Int J Epidemiol 1997;26(4):844-54.
23. Wijsen C, de Haas S. Sexual health in the Netherlands 2011: creating a representative sample for a population study. Tijdschrift voor Seksuologie 2012;36(2):83-86.
24. McCabe MP, Sharlip ID, Lewis R, Atalla E, Balon R, Fisher AD et al. Risk Factors for Sexual Dysfunction Among Women and Men: A Consensus Statement From the Fourth International Consultation on Sexual Medicine 2015. J Sex Med. 2016 Feb;13(2):153-67.
25. Schwarz R, Hinz A. Reference data for the quality of life questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30 in the general German population. Eur J Cancer. 2001 Jul;37(11):1345-51.
26. Goligher EC, Pouchot J, Brant R, Kherani RB, Aviña-Zubieta JA, Lacaille D et al. Minimal clinically important difference for 7 measures of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Rheumatol. 2008 Apr;35(4):635-42.
27. Spinhoven P, Ormel J, Sloekers PP, Kempen GI, Speckens AE, Van Hemert AM. A validation study of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in different groups of Dutch subjects. Psychol Med. 1997 Mar;27(2):363-70.
28 Smid DE, Franssen FM, Houben-Wilke S, Vanfleteren LE, Janssen DJ, Wouters EF et al. Responsiveness and MCID Estimates for CAT, CCQ, and HADS in Patients With COPD Undergoing Pulmonary Rehabilitation: A Prospective Analysis. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2017 Jan;18(1):53-58.