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A profile of psychosexual functioning in males following spinal cord injury

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Abstract

The psychosexual functioning of 47 men with spinal cord injury was studied using the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI). Subjects with paraplegia did not differ significantly from subjects with quadriplegia on any of the scales of the DSFI. Subject groups were then aggregated, and the means across DSFI scales were compared to the means of the non-disabled DSFI normative group. This comparison revealed significantly below-normal scores for subjects with spinal cord injury on the Body Image, Gender Role Definition, Experience, and Psychological Symptoms scales, as well as on a composite measure of sexual functioning, the Sexual Functioning Index. The meaning of these results is discussed, and implications for intervention are considered.

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Author notes

  1. Silverio Arenas Ph.D.

    Present address: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of California, Davis, Medical Center, 95817, Sacramento, California

    Allen J. Romeo Ph.D., Richard Wanlass Ph.D. & Silverio Arenas Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Allen J. Romeo Ph.D.
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  2. Richard Wanlass Ph.D.
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  3. Silverio Arenas Ph.D.
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Romeo, A.J., Wanlass, R. & Arenas, S. A profile of psychosexual functioning in males following spinal cord injury. Sex Disabil 11, 269–276 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01102171

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