Perceived Barriers in the Assessment and Management of Female Sexual Dysfunction: a Survey Among Resident Trainees in Psychiatry.

objectiveThe authors examined the perceived barriers in the assessment and management of female sexual dysfunction among resident trainees in psychiatry.

methodsAn online survey was conducted among 148 resident trainees in psychiatry at a tertiary academic psychiatry center in India. It consisted of nine items with responses rated on a Likert scale. The anonymity of the responses was maintained.

resultsA total of 73 residents (49.3%) responded to the survey. Spontaneous reporting of sexual functioning, which is patient-driven, and spontaneous inquiry, which is resident-driven, were lacking. Specific barriers identified in the majority were lack of time, privacy, linguistic challenges, limited knowledge, and sociocultural background of the patient. The gender of the resident was not perceived as a major barrier in a majority. Marital discord appeared as a common response for inquiries into sexual functioning, while the use of psychotropics, the presence of medical comorbidities, and the postmenopausal state did not attract a majority to inquire about the same. Furthermore, a response that there was a lack of intervention in those reporting sexual dysfunction was commonly noted. Only 5.5% of the participants reported having received adequate formal training in the management of female sexual dysfunction.

conclusionFemale sexual dysfunction is common, adds to psychiatric morbidity, and affects the quality of life. It is important to impart training on female sexual dysfunction as a part of their residency program with cultural appropriateness. A future direction would be to evaluate the effectiveness of a formal training program for assessing and managing female sexual dysfunction.