Beliefs about illness and quality of life among men with erectile dysfunction

Abstract

The objective of the study was to apply an illness representations framework to examine patients' beliefs about erectile dysfunction (ED) and the association between those beliefs and reported quality of life. A total of 41 patients attending two secondary care clinics at a teaching hospital completed questionnaires examining quality of life, sexual functioning, illness representations (cause, time-line, coherence, consequences, cure, control and emotion) and perceptions of masculinity. Masculinity, sexual function, emotions and beliefs about consequences were found to be significantly correlated with quality of life. Multiple regression analysis revealed a model that accounted for almost 35% of the variance in quality of life of ED patients. The strongest predictor of higher quality of life was better sexual functioning (b ¼ À0.342, Po0.05) followed by more positive beliefs about the effects of ED on masculinity (b ¼ 0.323, Po0.05). The results suggest that when assessing the quality of life of men with ED, patients' illness representations should be considered along with their level of sexual functioning and the effects of ED on masculinity. Patients may benefit from an intervention programme that includes an educational component, thereby providing patients with more information about treatment options and available support.

Illness perceptions and emotional well-being in men treated for localized prostate cancer

“…Most studies of cancer perceptions have focused on peritreatment breast cancer patients [44,45]. Growing research in PC, however, has emphasized the role of perceived bother over treatment-related side effects such as sexual dysfunction [14,23].…”

“…Of note, only perceived controllability has been related to objective disease state [22]. Among PC survivors, perceptions about treatment-related side effects are important predictors of well-being [14,23]. QOL is also influenced, however, by cancer concerns (e.g., financial burden) that are not limited to physical symptoms [12].…”

A typology of men's sexual attitudes, erectile dysfunction treatment expectations and barriers

“…[1][2][3][4][5] This discrepancy has stimulated extensive research on adult males' sexual attitudes, behaviors and treatment barriers. 3,[6][7][8][9][10][11] Studies of human sexuality have highlighted a large variability in men's sexual life and attitudes, and it can be expected that sexual behavior styles and beliefs affect men's reactions to erection difficulties. Grouping patients by behaviors and beliefs has been useful for designing educational campaigns and health-care interventions.…”

Inventories for male and female sexual dysfunctions

“…41 Recently, ED-EQoL has confirmed its validity in a sample of patients attending secondary care clinics at a teaching hospital. 42 In particular, at multiple regression analysis, sexual function has been observed as the best predictor of QoL. 42 Quality of Life in Male Erectile Dysfunction (QoL-MED) questionnaire is the first SRQ evaluating QoL specifically developed for patients with ED.…”

“…42 In particular, at multiple regression analysis, sexual function has been observed as the best predictor of QoL. 42 Quality of Life in Male Erectile Dysfunction (QoL-MED) questionnaire is the first SRQ evaluating QoL specifically developed for patients with ED. 43 Although the internal consistency and reproducibility were good, the validity of this instrument in measuring disease-specific QoL has not been completely established.…”