Patterns of Attrition for Psychological and Pharmacological Treatment of Male Sexual Dysfunction: Implications for sex therapy research and cross-cultural perspectives

Fifty-six consecutive male patients with sexual dysfunction who were referred for treatment to the Department of Psychiatry, University of Istanbul were allocated to psychotherapy and drug treatment conditions. The overall patient attrition rate was found to be 66%. Lower socio-economic status, erectile failure, shorter duration and higher severity of dysfunction, and better marital adjustment were found to be associated with premature termination of psychotherapy, whereas none of these features predicted compliance in the drug group. Implications for practice of sex therapy with patients from lower social strata and traditional, non-Western cultural settings are discussed.