Submit to Healthcare Review for Healthcare Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Advances in Sexual Health, Sexual Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 8734

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Isabel Arcos-Romero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Psychology, Loyola University, 41704 Seville, Spain
Interests: human sexuality; sexual health; sexual function; sexual response; orgasm; sexual orientation; relationships
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Cristóbal Calvillo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Interests: sexual satisfaction; sexual functioning; sexual attitudes; sexual psychophysiology; orgasm; sexual diversity; sexual health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization, “sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality, and it is fundamental to the overall health and well-being of individuals, couples, and families”. The interaction between mental health and sexual health should be deeply investigated to provide evidence that improves the quality of life of people. It is known that psychological difficulties affect sexual functioning and, therefore, general sexual health. For this Special Issue, we encourage researchers to submit manuscripts focused on sexual-health-related issues, sexual functioning, and psychological variables. Studies on sexuality and its relationship with psychological well-being, as well as those concerning the role that mental health plays in sexual functioning, are of interest. Additionally, to evaluate and intervene in sexual health, studies on the adaptation and/or validation of instruments for assessing psychosexual variables are welcomed. Those studies that encompass gender identities, sex, sexual orientations, and different sexual contexts related to public health will be considered. The goal of this Special Issue is to update knowledge by providing scientific evidence about the advances in sexual health, sexual functioning, and psychological well-being.

Dr. Ana Isabel Arcos-Romero
Dr. Cristóbal Calvillo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sexual health
sexual functioning
psychological well-being
mental health
gender
sexual relationships

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

14 pages, 432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sexual Dysfunctions among Veterans with and without PTSD

by Marina Protuđer, Aleksandra Stevanović and Marina Letica-Crepulja

Healthcare 2023, 11(13), 1861; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11131861 - 27 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1468

Abstract

Background: Research on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sexual dysfunctions (SD) has clearly recognized the association among these conditions. The main objective of this research was to compare the levels of the overall and the level of certain domains of sexual functioning among veterans with and those without PTSD. Methods: Two hundred and fifty veterans with PTSD and 187 veterans without PTSD were included in the comparative study. The following assessments were conducted: LEC-5, PCL-5, ITQ, IIEF, PEDT, and MINI. Results: Veterans with PTSD had significantly higher levels of all types of SD in the PTSD group compared with the non-PTSD veterans. Veterans with PTSD more frequently experienced psychiatric and somatic comorbidities and use of medication that may contribute to the occurrence and severity of SD. Conclusions: The present study emphasized that SDs are an important issue among patients with PTSD. The study comprehensively accounted for conditions that may contribute to the occurrence and severity of SD among veterans with PTSD. Future directions of the research that could further improve the healthcare of the patients were indicated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sexual Health, Sexual Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 1094 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Low Exercise Tolerance as a Marker of Erectile Dysfunction and Depression among Post-Myocardial Infarction Men

by Amanda Mandera-Grygierzec, Paulina Kostrzewska, Ewa Szuster, Anna Pawlikowska-Gorzelańczyk, Małgorzata Biernikiewicz, Agnieszka Rusiecka, Aneta Mrozek-Szetela, Małgorzata Sobieszczańska, Krystyna Rożek-Piechura, Monika Markiewicz and Dariusz Kałka

Healthcare 2023, 11(9), 1213; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11091213 - 24 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1142

Abstract

Evidence has grown recently on the correlation between lifestyle and physical activity, and their impact on the functioning of the entire organism. In addition, a decrease in physical efficiency may be an indicator of the early diagnosis of systemic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between exercise tolerance and possible erectile dysfunction or mental disorders. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 254 men in 4 cardiac rehabilitation centers in Poland using the standardized International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires. Erectile dysfunction was directly proportional to the metabolic equivalent of the task (MET) variable. An increase in exercise tolerance by 1 point was associated with an increase in the IIEF-5 score by 1.62 points, indicating a reduction in the severity of erectile dysfunction. The 1-point increase in MET was associated with a 1.8-point decrease in BDI, indicating that an increase in exercise tolerance is associated with a decrease in the severity of depressive disorders. Increasing the tolerance of physical effort has a beneficial effect not only on the general well-being, but also on the sexual and mental health of men. An increase in exercise tolerance is associated with a reduction in the incidence of erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, in patients with depressive disorders, the improvement of exercise tolerance reduces the intensity of depression symptoms. Exercise tolerance can be an early and simple marker at the onset of erectile dysfunction or mood disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sexual Health, Sexual Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 335 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Solitary Sexual Desire: Its Relation to Subjective Orgasm Experience and Sexual Arousal in the Masturbation Context within a Spanish Population

by Oscar Cervilla, Eva Jiménez-Antón, Ana Álvarez-Muelas, Pablo Mangas, Reina Granados and Juan Carlos Sierra

Healthcare 2023, 11(6), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060805 - 09 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3423

Abstract

The tridimensional sexual desire proposal (i.e., dyadic to partner, dyadic to attractive other and solitary) has been empirically supported. However, solitary sexual desire and its relationship to other dimensions of sexual functioning has received less attention. Hence, we examined the capacity of solitary sexual desire to explain the subjective orgasm experience (Study 1) and sexual arousal (Study 2) in the context of solitary masturbation. Study 1, composed of 2406 heterosexual adults (M age = 39.72, SD = 11.81), assessed for solitary sexual desire, dyadic sexual desire, and the intensity of the subjective orgasm experience obtained through solitary masturbation, along with other associated parameters. Study 2, consisting of 41 heterosexual young people (M age = 22.49, SD = 3.17), evaluated the genital response (penile circumference/vaginal pulse amplitude) and subjective arousal to sexually explicit films related to solitary masturbation. In both men and women, solitary sexual desire accounted for a significant percentage of the subjective orgasm experience obtained through solitary masturbation. In addition, in women, the propensity for sexual arousal was explained by solitary sexual desire. It is concluded that solitary sexual desire -as opposed to dyadic- is important to explain sexual arousal and orgasm in the solitary masturbation context. These results highlight the importance of addressing sexual desire in the solitary context, given its implications with other dimensions of sexual functioning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sexual Health, Sexual Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being)

Other

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 685 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Sexual Health and Psychological Well-Being of Women: A Systematic Review

by Ana Isabel Arcos-Romero and Cristobal Calvillo

Healthcare 2023, 11(23), 3025; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11233025 - 23 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1488

Abstract

(1) Background: Psychological well-being (PWB) and female sexual health are two important areas for women’s quality of life and research, and they are closely related. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature to explore the association between PWB and sexual health in women. (2) Methods: This review was carried out following the PRISMA checklist. The inclusion criteria were studies with samples of adult women that evaluated and associated sexual functioning and psychological well-being. Scientific articles were identified on Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO (PsycInfo, PsycArticles, and Psicodoc), ProQuest, and PubMed. The search was limited to years between 2010 and 2023. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies (QATOCCS). (3) Results: 14 selected articles were analyzed, in which population samples and variables related to psychological and sexual health were examined. In total, 42.9% of the studies included clinical samples, 71.4% focused on anxiety and depression as the main psychological variables, and 50% examined female sexual functioning as a sexual health variable. (4) Conclusions: This review provides more up-to-date information about valuable insights into the possible determinants of female sexual health. An association between PWB and female sexual health has been demonstrated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sexual Health, Sexual Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being)

► Show Figures