ArticleCommunity mental health journal2026
Sexual Health in Psychiatry: Bridging the Communication Gap and Training Needs between Patients and Clinicians - A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Pilot Study.
Article in Community mental health journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Sexual health is integral to mental well-being, yet it remains under-addressed in psychiatric care. Mental disorders and psychotropic medications can cause sexual dysfunctions. Despite its clinical relevance, sexual health is often not routinely assessed or discussed in psychiatric assessment and treatment, possibly due to insufficient training, stigma, and clinicians' uncertainty. This pilot study examined how sexuality is addressed in psychiatric treatment and how relevant the topic is perceived, integrating patient and clinician perspectives. A cross-sectional, anonymous online survey was conducted between February and July 2025 in two German academic psychiatric hospitals. Psychiatric patients and mental-health professionals completed questionnaires tailored to their perspectives. Patients completed measures of sexual functioning, well-being, and communication about sexuality, whereas mental-health professionals completed measures of attitudes, clinical practice, and professional training. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A total of 231 patients and 194 clinicians participated. Nearly all patients reported at least one sexual dysfunction (100% women, 97% men), while only 18.7% reported being sexually satisfied. Although most patients (62.0%) considered sexuality an important topic, only 12.5% reported that it had been addressed. Clinicians reported addressing sexuality more frequently (psychotherapists: 44.0%; specialists: 62.1%). Among physicians, confidence and years of professional experience predicted actively discussing sexual issues (p = .013). More than 80% of clinicians reported insufficient coverage of sexual health during their education. Sexual health remains a neglected domain in psychiatric care despite being recognized as important by both patients and clinicians. Strengthening clinicians' confidence through targeted training, routine screening, and institutional support may help normalize the assessment of sexual health as part of holistic, patient-centred psychiatric care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42687073What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.