Highlights
- •Sexuality has a significant impact on interpersonal relationships and psychological well-being.
- •Up to 50% of patients with moderate to severe TBI report sexual problems.
- •Sexual disorders in TBI are closely dependent on the damaged brain area.
- •TBI patients and their caregivers should be provided with information useful to achieve a better sexual health.
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is any damage to the skull and/or the brain and its frameworks
due to an external force. Following TBI, patients may report cognitive, physiological
and psychosocial changes with a devastating impact on important aspects of the patient’s
life, such as sexual functioning. Although sexual dysfunction (SD) occurs at a significantly
greater frequency in individuals with TBI, it is not commonly assessed in the clinical
setting and little information is available on this crucial aspect of patients’ quality
of life. As the number of people with TBI is on the rise, there is a need for better
management of TBI problems, including SD, by providing information to patients and
their caregivers to achieve sexual health, with a consequent increase in their quality
of life. Discussing and treating sexual problems in TBI patients enters the framework
of a holistic approach. The purpose of this narrative review is provide clinicians
with information concerning changes in sexual functioning and relationships in individuals
with TBI, for a better management of patient’s functional outcomes and quality of
life.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: October 09, 2018
Accepted:
September 27,
2018
Received:
August 28,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
