title: How hot is he? A psychophysiological and psychosocial examination of the arousal patterns of sexually functional and dysfunctional men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite much theorizing about the interchangeability of desire and arousal, research has yet to identify whether men with desire vs. arousal disorders can be differentiated based on their psychophysiological patterns of arousal. Additionally, little research has examined the relationship between subjective (SA) and genital arousal (GA) in sexually dysfunctional men.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare patterns of SA and GA in a community sample of men meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), erectile dysfunction (ED), both HSDD and ED (ED/HSDD), and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one men (19 controls, 13 HSDD, 19 ED, 20 ED/HSDD) completed self-report measures and watched two 15-minute film clips (neutral and erotic), while GA and SA were measured both continuously and discretely.
  
  
  METHODS
  Groups were compared on genital temperature (as an indicator of GA), SA, and psychosocial variables (i.e., body image, emotion regulation, sexual attitudes, sexual inhibition/excitation, mood, and trauma).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Genital temperature increased for all groups during the erotic condition, yet men with ED and ED/HSDD showed less GA than men without erectile difficulties. All groups increased in SA during the erotic condition, yet ED/HSDD men reported less SA than controls or ED men. SA and GA were highly correlated for controls, and less strongly correlated for clinical groups; men with ED showed low agreement between SA and GA. Groups also differed on body image, sexual inhibition/excitation, sexual attitudes and alexithymia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low desire vs. arousal sufferers have unique patterns of response, with those with both difficulties showing greatest impairment. Results have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarin
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amsel
authors.forename: Yitzchak M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Binik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000523:psychology; D004882:Erotica; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007989:Libido / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000502:physiology; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Classification; Diagnosis; Erectile Dysfunction (ED); Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD); Psychophysiology; Sexual Arousal; Sexual Dysfunction; Thermography