INDIVIDUAL ADJUSTMENT, COUPLE CORRESPONDENCE ON ADJUSTMENT AND TYPE OF PENILE IMPLANT RECEIVED AS CORRELATES OF SEXUAL AND IMPLANT SATISFACTION (IMPOTENCE, ERECTILE, DYSFUNCTION).

Abstract

This study was an ex post facto analysis of data gathered on 49 couples in which the men were organically impotent and subsequently received either an inflatable (n = 34), noninflatable penile prosthesis (n = 11) or both, in succession (n = 4). One purpose of this study was to examine the degree of correspondence for the patient and partner on their postsurgical psychological and sexual adjustment. The second purpose was to assess the relative contribution of each individual's psychological and sexual adjustment, couple correspondence on their adjustment, and the type of implant received on the patient's and partner's implant and sexual satisfaction. It was hypothesized that the patient's and partner's implant and sexual satisfaction would be more strongly related to couple correspondence on adjustment than to individual adjustment or to type of implant received. The instruments utilized were the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory and two nonstandardized questionnaires. Thirty-five couples completed all three instruments. The statistical analysis of the data via stepwise multiple regression procedures found that the hypotheses were not supported. Instead, it was found that type of implant contributed more to the patient's and partner's implant and sexual satisfaction than did couple correspondence or individual adjustment. Furthermore, couple correspondence on sexual drive was found to additionally contribute to patient's implant satisfaction, and correspondence on sexual drive and sexual attitudes were found to additionally contribute to patient's sexual satisfaction. Additional findings included that these couples were more similar on their sexual experience and sexual drive than they were on their sexual knowlege, sexual attitudes or psychological symptoms. It appears that recipients of the inflatable implant and their partners experience more implant and sexual satisfaction than do the recipients of noninflatable implants and their partners. These men tend to differ from their partners such that these patients, unlike their partners, have couple correspondence making an additional contribution to their implant and sexual satisfaction above and beyond type of implant received.