Abstract
Forty-two male patients and their sexual partners were studied. Sixteen of the patients had psychogenic erectile failure (eight each with the primary and secondary forms), 16 were premature ejaculators, and 10 had diabetes-related impotence. Because of the higher mean age of the diabetics, two control groups were used, an age-matched older group (eight healthy males and their partners) and an age-matched younger group (16 healthy males and their partners). The results for the various groups on a semistandardized interview about sexual behavior and on five psychological assessment scales were compared. Of the 88 questions on the semi-standardized interview, 11 permitted assignment of the patients to the correct group. The diabetics suffered from “prevailing erectile impotence.” They viewed themselves as being less disturbed sexually than the other patients did, although on the basis of their symptoms their impotence was actually more severe. The patients with psychogenic erectile impotence had a “situational” sexual disorder in which sexual anxiety played an important role. They viewed themselves as more insecure than the diabetics and the controls and they overidealized their partners and mothers. There appear to be two subgroups of premature ejaculators: The E1 group of patients seemed to be less “neurotic” than the E2 group. On the psychological measures the latter was quite similar to the group of patients with psychogenic erectile impotence. All patient groups except E1 were significantly more depressed than the control groups.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abelson, G. (1975). Diagnostic value of the penile pulse and blood pressure: A Doppler study of impotence in diabetics.J. Urol. 113: 636–639.
Ansari, J. M. A. (1975). A study of 65 impotent males.Br. J. Psychiat. 127: 337–341.
Bancroft, J. H. J. (1970). Disorders of sexual potency. In Hill, O. W. (ed.),Modern Trends in Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol. 2, Butterworths, London.
Brengelmann, J. C. (1960). Deutsche Validierung von Fragebogen der Extraversion, neurotischen Tendenz und Rigidität.Z. Exp. Angew. Psychol. 7: 291–331.
Cooper, A. J. (1968). A factual study of male potency disorders.Br. J. Psychiat. 114: 719–731.
Cooper, A. J. (1969). Clinical and therapeutic studies in premature ejaculation.Comp. Psychiat. 10: 285–295.
Cooper, A. J. (1970). Guide to treatment and short-term prognosis of male potency disorders in hospital and general practice.Br. Med. J. 1: 157–159.
Cooper, A. J. (1972). Diagnosis and management of “endocrine impotence.”Br. Med. J. 2: 34–36.
Dittmar, F., Kockott, G., and Nusselt, L. (1977). Ein einfaches Instrument zur Messung von Gefühlen, angewendet als Kriterum des Therapieerfolges bei Erekionsstörungen. In Kockott, G. (ed.),Sexuelle Störungen Urban & Schwarzenberg, Munich.
Eysenck, H. J. (1971). Personality and sexual adjustment.Br. J. Psychiat. 118: 593–608.
Eysenck, H. J. (1977).Sexualität und Persönlichkeit. Europa-Verlag, Vienna.
Fisher, C., Schiavi, R., Lear, H., Edwards, A., Davis, D. M., and Witkin, A. P. (1975). The assessment of nocturnal REM-erection in the differential diagnosis of sexual impotence.J. Sex. Marital Ther. 1: 277–289.
Gaskell, P. (1977). The importance of penile blood pressure in cases of impotence.Can Med. Assoc. J. 105: 1047–1051.
Horst, P. (1965).Factor Analysis of Data Matrices. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.
Johnson, J. (1968).Disorders of Sexual Potency in the Male. Pergamon, Oxford.
Kaplan, H. S. (1974).The New Sex Therapy. Brunner/Mazel, New York; Bailliere Tindall, London.
Karacan, J., Salis, P. J., and Williams, R. L. (1978). The role of the sleep laboratory in diagnosis and treatment of impotence. In Williams, R. L., and Karacan, J. (eds.),Sleep Disorders, Diagnosis and Treatment Wiley, New York.
Kockott, G., Feil, W., Ferstl, R., Aldenhoff, J., and Besinger, U. (1980). Psychophysiological aspects of male sexual inadequacy: Results of an experiemntal study.Arch. Sex. Behav. 9: 477–493.
Levinger, G. (1966). Systematic distortion in spouses' reports of preferred and actual sexual behavior.Sociometry 29: 291–299.
Lück, H. E. (1971). Entwicklung eines Fragebogens zur Messung der Angst in sozialen situationen (SAP).Diagnostica 17: 53–59.
Martin, M. M. (1953). Diabetic neuropathy.Brain 76: 594–624.
Masters, W. H., and Johnson, V. E. (1970).Human Sexual Inadequacy. J. & A. Churchill, London.
Neubauer, M. (1977). Diabetes mellitus und Sexualstörungen. Internistisch-endokrinologische Aspekte. In Vogt, H.-J., and Eicher, W. (eds.),Praktische Sexualmedizin Medical Tribune, Wiesbaden.
Pirke, K. M., Kockott, G., Aldenhoff, J., Besinger, U., and Feil, W. (1979). Pituitary gonadal system function in patients with erectile impotence and premature ejaculation.Arch. Sex. Behav. 8: 41–48.
Raboch, J. (1977). Impotenz durch Hochdruck und Diabetes.Selecta 11: 1056–1057.
Raboch, J., and Brzek, A. (1977). Mechanismen des Versagens.Sexualmedizin 6: 289–292.
Revenstorf, D. (1971). Persönlichkeitsbeurteilung auf dem Polaritätsprofil.Archiv Psychologie 123: 195–216.
Schapiro, B. (1943). Premature ejaculation. A review of 1130 cases.J. Urol. 50: 374–379.
Schmidt, G., and Arentewicz, G. (1978). Sexuelle Funktionsstörungen. In Pongratz, L. J. (ed.),Klinische Psychologie, Handbuch der Psychologie, Vol. 8/2, Hogrefe, Göttingen.
Shirai, M., and Nakamura, M. (1975). Diagnostic discrimination between organic and functional impotence by radioisotope penogram with 99mTc04.Tohoku J. Exp. Med. 116: 9–15.
Sigusch, V., and Maack, T. (1976). Ejakulationsstörungen. Ein Überblick.Sexualmedizin 5: 23: 32.
Tuthill, J. F. (1955). Impotence.Lancet I: 124–128.
Vogt, A. (1974). Analyse and Eichung des Extraversion-Neurotizismus-Fragebogens nach J. C. Brengelmann und L. Brengelmann. Master's thesis, Psychological Institute, University of Regensburg.
von Zerssen, D., with the cooperation of Köller, D. M. (1976). Klinische Selbstbeurteilungs-Skalen (KSb-S) aus dem Münchener psychiatrischen Informations-Systems (PSYCHISMUNCHEN) Manual:Die Befindlichkeits-Skala. Beltz, Weinheim.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kockott, G., Feil, W., Revenstorf, D. et al. Symptomatology and psychological aspects of male sexual inadequacy: Results of an experimental study. Arch Sex Behav 9, 457–475 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542152
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542152