Client attributions for sexual dysfunction

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Abstract
This investigation examined attributions for sexual dysfunctions made by 63 individuals and 21 of their partners who presented at a sex therapy service for the following problems: erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and female orgasmic dysfunctions. All participants completed measures of marital adjustment, locus of control, depression and a questionnaire which assessed: attributions of responsibility for the sexual problem, perceived control over sexual functioning, distress, effort made to improve the sexual relationship, and expectations about the efficacy of sex therapy for the problem. Results indicate that both identified patients and their partners, regardless of the dysfunction, blamed the sexual problem on the “dysfunctional individual” rather than on the circumstances or the partner. With respect to the partners, husbands of women with orgasmic dysfunction were more likely to blame themselves than the circumstances, while the opposite was true for wives of males with erectile difficulties. Individuals experiencing the dysfunction perceived themselves and their partners as having little, but equal control over the identified patient's sexuality. Correlational analyses indicate that in identified patients, the better the quality of the marital relationship, the greater the self-blame and the lower the partner blame. Those with happy marriages also made greater efforts to improve their sexual relationship and had higher expectations of success with therapy. The implications of the results for research on the role of attributions in sexual dysfunction and for assessment of cognitive factors in sexually dysfunctional individuals and their partners is discussed.