Objective: To assess different aspects of sexual function in men with spinal cord injury (SCI) using the Male Sexual Quotient (MSQ), a newly developed tool to assess sexual function and satisfaction.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Tertiary rehabilitation center.
Participants: Patients (N=295) older than 18 years (mean age ± SD, 40.7±14.5y) with SCI for more than 1 year (median time since SCI, 3.6y; range, 1.6-7.0y) were assessed from February to August 2012. Patients completed the MSQ questionnaire and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM).
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main outcome measures: Performance in various domains of sexual function was evaluated using the MSQ and SHIM questionnaires.
Results: Erectile function, ejaculation, and orgasm were the most severely affected domains. The median MSQ score was 40 (range, 8-66), and the median SHIM score was 5 (range, 0-16). The diagnostic properties of the 2 instruments were similar in the discrimination of sexually active subjects. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was .950 (95% confidence interval [CI], .923-.979) for the MSQ and .942 (95% CI, .915-.968) for the SHIM. There was a strong correlation between the 2 instruments (r=.826; 95% CI, .802-.878).
Conclusions: Different domains of sexual function are severely impaired in men with SCI, although their sexual interest remains high. The MSQ and SHIM scores strongly correlate, but the MSQ provides a more comprehensive assessment of sexual dysfunction in male patients with SCI.
Keywords: Ejaculation; Physiology; Rehabilitation; Sensitivity and specificity; Sexual behavior; Sexual dysfunction, physiological; Spinal cord injuries; Surveys and questionnaires.
Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.