Adjustment to Changes in Sexual Functioning Following Spinal Cord Injury: The Contribution of Men’s Adherence to Scripts for Sexual Potency

Abstract

Recent epidemiological statistics suggest approximately 250,000 people in the United States live with a spinal cord injury. Men constitute roughly 82% of these individuals. Following spinal cord injury, men frequently experience significant changes in their sexual functioning. As a result, men with spinal cord injuries are at an increased risk for experiencing adjustment difficulties. Unfortunately, relatively little is known about factors that promote or impede men's adjustment to these changes. In the present article, the authors highlight how men's adherence to gender scripts for sexual potency may contribute to their adjustment following a spinal cord injury. To organize the discussion, the authors review related literature and, through case examples, illustrate how men's adherence to this gender norm may influence their post-injury mental health. Directions for gender-sensitive interventions and future clinical research are provided.

Positive sexuality in men with spinal cord injury

“…Former studies have shown that foreplay plays an important role in the sex life of men with SCI: hugging, kissing, caressing, oral sex, visual aids or fantasy are commonly practiced. However, in those studies, foreplay was mainly practiced or encouraged as a substitute for intercourse [6,7,9,[22][23][24][25]. This study confirmed that the majority of men enjoyed lengthy foreplay, and that it increased their arousal.…”

“…Most had chosen a partner after the SCI with whom they seemed to have developed open communication regarding their sexuality. Most importantly, they developed other aspects of sexuality such as intimacy and emotional sharing, which are major components of the adaptation to their new sexual lives, as has been shown in other studies [7,11,15,16,22,26,40,43]. It has also been found that living with a stable partner in an enduring relationship [10,13,15,16] or having multiple partners [6] increases sexual satisfaction.…”

“…Strikingly, most men reported pleasure during coitus. A possible explanation for this is that recovery of sexual capacity and potency helps them regain a sense of masculinity, allowing them to engage in intercourse if they wished to, as "normal men" would do [22]. For these men, intercourse was clearly not limited to the gratification of their partner after SCI, as has previously been reported [6,[8][9][10]16].…”

Sexual functioning in men living with a spinal cord injury–A narrative literature review

“…It has also been reported that men in particular experience significant changes in their sexual functioning following a spinal cord injury. Burns et al ., (2008a)[ 9 ] reported that of the 250,000 people in the United States with a spinal cord injury, men constitute roughly 82% of this population. While changes in sexual functioning following a spinal cord injury pose a serious threat to men's sense of masculinity, little is known about the factors that promote or impede adjustment to these changes.…”

Sexual Desire and Depression Following Spinal Cord Injury: Masculine Sexual Prowess as a Moderator

“…The adjustment difficulties these men experience may also be a function of the degree to which they conform to traditional masculine norms (Burns et al 2008;Tepper 1999). Specifically, adherence to masculine norms stressing the importance of men's sexual prowess in defining their worth may exacerbate their adjustment by enhancing the salience of post-injury changes in sexuality .…”