Abstract
Objective
To investigate sexual functioning and its predictors in spouses/partners of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Design
Inception cohort survey.
Setting
Community.
Participants
70 persons with complicated mild to severe TBI admitted to one of six participating TBI Model Systems inpatient rehabilitation units and their spouses/partners who were both living in the community and assessed 1 year after injury.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning Self-Report (DISF-SR); Global Sexual Satisfaction Index (GSSI).
Results
20% of spouses/partners of persons with TBI reported sexual dysfunction and 44% reported dissatisfaction with sexual functioning. 62% of spouses/partners reported a decrease in sexual activity during the year post-injury, 34% reported a decrease in sexual drive or desire, and 34% indicated that sexuality was less important in comparison to pre-injury. The sexual functioning of spouses/partners of persons with TBI was highly associated with the sexual functioning of the person with TBI. Age of spouse/partner and sexual functioning in persons with the TBI were significant predictors of spouses/partner’s sexual functioning, even after controlling for gender of partner and the physical, cognitive, participation, and sexual functioning of the person with injury.
Conclusions and Implications
Greater sexual dysfunction in spouses/partners was associated with older age and with poorer sexual functioning in the person with injury. Rehabilitation professionals should provide education on the potential impact of TBI on sexual functioning for both persons with TBI and their spouses/partners and integrate the assessment of sexual functioning into their clinical assessment, making appropriate referrals for therapy.
Keywords:
Traumatic brain injury, Sexual dysfunction, Spouses, Sexual partners
List of abbreviations:
DISF (Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning), DISF-SR (Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning Self-Report), DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV), FIMTM (functional independence measure), GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale), GSSI (Global Sexual Satisfaction Index), PART-O (Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools – Objective), TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), TBIMS(Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems)
TBI Rehabilitation 