Sexual Health in Psychiatry: Bridging the Communication Gap and Training Needs between Patients and Clinicians – A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Pilot Study
Cross-sectional survey uncovers high rates of sexual dysfunction alongside low discussion rates in psychiatric care, highlighting major clinician training needs.
Key Points
To examine how sexual health is addressed in psychiatric treatment and evaluate communication gaps and training needs from both patient and clinician perspectives.
Conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey between February and July 2025 across two German academic psychiatric hospitals.
Surveyed 231 psychiatric patients regarding sexual functioning, well-being, and communication, alongside 194 mental-health professionals regarding clinical practices, attitudes, and training.
Evaluated responses using descriptive and inferential statistical methods.
At least one sexual dysfunction was reported by 100% of female and 97% of male patients, with only 18.7% reporting sexual satisfaction.
Although 62.0% of patients considered sexuality an important clinical topic, only 12.5% reported that it was addressed, whereas clinicians reported addressing it more frequently (psychotherapists: 44.0%; specialists: 62.1%).
Physician confidence and professional experience significantly predicted active discussion of sexual issues (p = .013), while more than 80% of clinicians reported insufficient coverage of sexual health during professional training.