Application Of The Biopsychosocial Model Of Health To Improving The Treatment Of Men With ED

Three national quantitative surveys were conducted between March 2004 and November 2005. The first of these surveys was a cross-sectional examination of the impact of ED on the lives of Australian men, and included a sample of 410 men with ED, and 242 men without ED. The second study was a cross sectional exploration of the impact of ED on couples, and included a sample of 40 dysfunctional couples and 18 non-dysfunctional couples. Finally, a longitudinal investigation was carried out using follow-up data from a sub-sample of the men in study 1 that was collected 9-12 months after the initial survey. Results : The results of this study indicated that men with ED experienced poorer sexual and relationship satisfaction, and a lowered sense of masculinity, poorer self-esteem, and lower overall QOL than did men without ED. Partners of men with ED experienced declines in their sexual satisfaction, self esteem, and QOL.  ED has a broad-ranging impact on the lives of men and their partners that must be addressed to enable effective treatment of this dysfunction. A combination of psychosocial treatment with medical approaches should improve treatment outcomes and treatment satisfaction.