Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Investigate Associations between Ejaculatory Latency and Control in Partnered and Non-Partnered Sexual Activities

Abstract

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) was used to investigate associations between, and variations in, ejaculatory control and ejaculation latency time (ELT) over repeated measurements of sexual activities. Differences between measures recorded in partnered or non-partnered settings were also investigated. The sample consisted of 21 male Finns aged 18 years or above, contributing a total of 158 reports of partnered and non-partnered sexual activities over a six-week period. In the context of non-partnered sexual activities, after controlling for within-subjects dependence, ELTs between events were predictive of one another, but ELT did not predict ejaculatory control when measured simultaneously, nor at subsequent events. Also, ejaculatory control could not predict simultaneously measured ELT or ejaculatory control at subsequent events. During partnered sexual activities, both ejaculatory control and ELT could be accurately predicted by observing ejaculatory control at prior events. In this context, ejaculatory control could also reliably predict simultaneously measured ELT. ELT or ejaculatory control during partnered sexual activity could not be predicted by observing ELT at prior events. Between-event correlations were generally low, indicating considerable variation in ejaculatory functioning over time. EMA is a thrifty assessment method for studying variations in ejaculatory function, and is likely suitable for studying sexual dysfunctions in general.

Diagnostic Criteria for Premature Ejaculation: Clarifying the Role of “Ejaculatory Control” and “Bother/Distress”

“…Reported correlations between ejaculatory control and bother/distress have ranged from low to moderate [9,11,12,20]. Results from the current study also show low to moderate correlations, with similar values for both the overall sample and the PE subsample.…”

“…The central role for ejaculatory Sexes 2020, 1 73 control in the characterization of PE was initially demonstrated through path analysis, where perceived control over ejaculation-in contrast with EL-had significant direct effects on both sexual satisfaction and personal distress related to the PE condition [9]. This construct subsequently emerged as the most important explanatory variable in nearly every model predicting PE status [6][7][8][9], and its centrality with respect to distress, PE severity, sexual satisfaction, and, equally important, clinical assessment and treatment, has been confirmed by a number of recent investigations and reports on the topic [10][11][12][13].…”

“…Various analyses have demonstrated that all three criteria for PE-EL, ejaculatory control, and bother/distress-correlate significantly with one another, although these correlations tend to be low-to-moderate, around 0.20 to 0.50 [8,9,[11][12][13][14][15][16]. While such correlations indicate the relative independence of these measures [15,19], they also indicate that substantial variation in these variables is due to other (unassessed) variables or, equally plausible, to the non-linear or non-monotonic nature of their relationships [11,16,20]. Specifically, non-linear and/or non-monotonic relationships would typically diminish the value of Pearson r, which assumes linearity between variables.…”

Psychosexual therapy for delayed ejaculation based on the Sexual Tipping Point model

“…Jern et al have emphasized how the concept of “control” (self-efficacy, confidence, etc.) does not correlate perfectly with IELT, and is mitigated by volition (34). …”

A Practical Guide to Analyzing Time-Varying Associations between Physical Activity and Affect Using Multilevel Modeling

“…Furthermore, these data collections are widely used to evaluate treatment and intervention of crucial health-related behaviors in health psychology and behavioral medicine, such as coping with illness and treatment [ 45 , 46 ], medication compliance [ 47 , 48 ], and exercise [ 49 , 50 ]. Psychiatric (or psychosomatic) disorders studied with EMA include a wide range of psychopathology, such as addictive disorders [ 51 , 52 ], gastrointestinal disorders [ 53 ], sexual dysfunction [ 54 ], eating disorders [ 46 , 55 , 56 ], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [ 57 , 58 ], mood dysregulation [ 59 ], anxiety disorders [ 60 – 62 ], depressive disorders [ 63 – 65 ], bipolar disorder [ 66 ], and schizophrenia [ 67 – 69 ].…”