Introduction: The HelpED study assessed men with erectile dysfunction (ED) treated with a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor and their female partner in a community setting.
Aim: To examine agreement in Erection Hardness Score (EHS) in patients and partners; to assess impact of EHS changes on other sexual health outcomes and behaviors.
Methods: At baseline and follow-up 2 to 4 months later, men in a stable heterosexual relationship who had newly diagnosed or untreated ED (≥6 months) completed the single-item EHS, the International Index of Erectile Function questions 4 and 5 (assessing erection maintenance), the Self-Esteem And Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire, and a modified Quality of Life domain of the Sexual Life Quality Questionnaire (mSLQQ-QOL).
Introduction: In a previous paper using mediation modeling, the direct and indirect effects of sildenafil on erection maintenance were demonstrated.
Objective: In an extension of this previous work, the historical psychosocial paradigm of ED, which focuses on performance anxiety, is tested by using mediation modeling to define the relationship of the physiological aspects (hardness and maintenance) and the associated psychosocial aspects (confidence, sexual relationship satisfaction, and performance anxiety) of ED.
Methods: Statistical mediation analysis using the following outcomes from a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of fixed-dose sildenafil 100 mg or 50 mg: Erection Hardness Score; the 15-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), including item 4 (frequency of erection maintenance after penetration) and item 5 (difficulty of erection maintenance to intercourse completion); the Self-Esteem And Relationship questionnaire; and the question, "Do you feel anxious about your next attempt at sexual intercourse?"
Main Outcome Measures: Estimated percentages of direct and indirect effects of sildenafil on psychosocial aspects of ED (95% confidence intervals).
Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to attain and/or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. Although intuitively related, the link between erection hardness and erection maintenance has not been formally established and quantified.
Aim: To understand the components of erection maintenance through statistical modeling.