Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Severity of Sexual Dysfunction Symptoms in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

• Published in: Sexuality and disability 2023-09, Vol.41 (3), p.543-554
• Main Authors: Romano, Danielle R., Zemon, Vance, Foley, Frederick W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Aging; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Black people; Community and Environmental Psychology; Ethnic differences; Ethnic groups; Females; Latin American cultural groups; Males; Measures; Minority & ethnic groups; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple symptoms; Original Paper; Psychology; Racial groups; Rehabilitation Medicine; Research Committees; Sexual Behavior; Sexual disorders; Urology
• ISSN: 0146-1044; 1573-6717
• DOI: 10.1007/s11195-023-09799-7

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common symptom for many with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, most studies researching this topic have predominantly White samples. While this matches epidemiological estimates, research has shown that those of other ethnic groups, such as African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos, tend to exhibit more symptomology. This study aimed to determine if this greater symptomology in other ethnic groups with MS holds for SD. Study participants were recruited from the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry. Participants completed the MSISQ-19 and the PDDS and provided demographic information. Study participants were 5445 respondents ( M age  = 51 years, SD  = 9.56, 75% female, 93% White). White, African American/Black, and Hispanic/Latino groups were compared on sexual dysfunction. Linear mixed effects modeling revealed that the MSISQ-19 subscale scores were significantly different for the African American/Black group ( t  =  − 2.48, p