Research Profile – Nipping Sexual Dysfunction in the Bud

Sexual problems that begin during teen years may affect adult relationships

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Problems relating to sexual function, such as anxiety, pain during intercourse or other related medical issues, are common in the adult population. But research suggests that these problems may manifest during the early years of a person’s sexual activity – during adolescence.

A happy sexual life plays a major role in helping people have successful intimate relationships. But about half of adult women and a third of men report some type of recent sexual dysfunction, according to Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan, professor of psychology at the University of New Brunswick.

“Sexual dysfunction can cause a lot of distress in relationships. We know it’s closely connected to relationship satisfaction,” she says.

Very little research has addressed sexual function in teens – the time of life when people start exploring close relationships and sexuality. And if problems start during these years, they may well persist into adulthood and affect future relationships.

To address this knowledge gap, Dr. O’Sullivan and her team are conducting a longitudinal study to assess patterns of sexual function among teens and how these patterns change over time.

The study isn’t about prevention and contraception – basic concepts that are already taught in schools.

“The sex education they get is fairly comprehensive, but it doesn't focus on maximizing pleasure or anything like that,” says Dr. O’Sullivan. “It’s about contraception, how pregnancy occurs, different diseases they can get – not how to forge a strong sexual relationship, how to recognize arousal or the things you have to learn to be a partnered sexual person.”

According to Dr. O’Sullivan, this project is about the different physical and mechanical components of sex. It’s about whether they had pain, if the sex was pleasurable, or whether they experienced anxiety. These are factors that can affect a person’s sexual functioning in later years, and it’s important to find out what is normal for adolescents.

A total of 407 participants, ranging in age from 16 to 21 years, have enrolled in the study. All are volunteers from community sites and schools, and they will complete five surveys over a period of two years.

So far, three of the five surveys have been completed. Early findings show that the majority of respondents report they have satisfying, pleasurable and pain-free sexual lives. However, a notable minority of adolescents – about 25% – report recent problems in sexual functioning. For both sexes, the key problems were painful intercourse, difficulty with orgasm, and low desire and satisfaction.

The study also includes interviews with a sample of 24 young people. Early interview findings indicate that participants feel a lot of pressure to be sexually responsive to a partner. Many have unrealistic expectations of what they should experience from sexual activity and feel there is a problem in how they perform or respond to partners.

While most have positive and functional sexual lives, “for a minority it starts out badly or painfully. Many need to learn, for instance, how to delay ejaculation for men, or for women how to recognize arousal or how to have an orgasm,” says Dr. O’Sullivan. These are issues that might eventually be included in health education programs.

The researchers will also interview health care providers to ask whether they talk to young people about their sexual lives beyond contraception, pregnancy and disease.

“We want to know if adolescents are getting any help with sexual problems that arise before they escalate into adult dysfunction,” she says.

“Sexual dysfunction can cause a lot of distress in relationships. We know it’s closely connected to relationship satisfaction.” 
– Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan, University of New Brunswick