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Aleksandar Stulhofer

Publications and source records attributed to Aleksandar Stulhofer.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Prevalence of erectile and ejaculatory difficulties among men in Croatia.

AIM: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of erectile difficulties and rapid ejaculation in men in Croatia. METHOD: We surveyed 615 of 888 contacted men aged 35-84 years. The mean age of participants was 54-/+12 years. College-educated respondents and the respondents from large cities were slightly overrepresented in the sample. Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted in June and July 2004 by 63 trained interviewers. The questionnaire used in interviews was created for commercial purposes and had not been validated before. RESULTS: Out of 615 men who were sexually active in the preceding month and gave the valid answers to the questions on erectile difficulties and rapid ejaculation, 130 suffered from erectile or ejaculatory difficulties. Men who had been sexually active the month before the interview and gave the valid answers to the questions on sexual difficulties reported having erectile difficulties more often (77 out of 615) than rapid ejaculation (57 out of 601). Additional 26.8% (165 out of 615) and 26.3% (158 out of 601) men were classified as being at risk for erectile difficulties and rapid ejaculation, respectively. The prevalence of erectile difficulties varied from 5.8% in the 35-39 age group to 30% in the 70-79 age group. The association between age and rapid ejaculation was curvilinear, ie, U-shaped. Rates of rapid ejaculation were highest in the youngest (15.7%) and the oldest (12.5%) age groups. Older age (odds ratios [OR], 6.2-10.3), overweight (OR, 3.3-4.2), alcohol (OR, 0.3-0.4), intense physical activity (OR, 0.3), traditional attitudes about sexuality (OR, 2.8), and discussing sex with one's partner (OR, 0.1-0.3) were associated with erectile difficulties. Education (OR, 0.1-0.3), being overweight (OR, 22.0) or obese (OR, 20.1), alcohol consumption (OR, 0.2-0.3), stress and anxiety (OR, 10.8-12.5), holding traditional attitudes (OR, 2.8) and moderate physical activity (OR, 0.1) were factors associated with rapid ejaculation. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of erectile difficulties was higher than the prevalence of rapid ejaculation in men in Croatia. The odds of having these sexual difficulties increased with older age, overweight, traditional attitudes toward sex, and higher level of stress and anxiety.

Adult↗

Sexual problems of urban women in Croatia: prevalence and correlates in a community sample.

AIM: To asses the prevalence and correlates of female sexual problems in a community sample in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. METHOD: The study was based on a self-administered postal survey of 1,170 women 20-60 years old, living in Zagreb. The return rate was 48% (n=547). Participants not sexually active in the last month (n=119), and those who self-identified as homosexual or bisexual (n=31), were excluded from the analyses. The final sample consisted of 384 women. The average age of participants was 38.2 years. Four categories of sexual problems were addressed: inhibited sexual desire, inhibited sexual arousal, inhibited orgasm, and sexual pain disorders. RESULTS: Of the heterosexual women sexually active in the last month, 33.8% experienced sexual problems, with inhibited orgasm being the most frequent problem. Comorbidity was recorded among 10.7% of the participants. Older age was positively related to inhibited desire (beta=0.11, P=0.05) and inhibited arousal (beta=0.25, P=0.002), whereas it was negatively related to inhibited orgasm and sexual pain disorders (beta=-3.73, P=0.001 and beta=-6.98, P=0.01, respectively). Length of relationship was positively related to inhibited desire (beta=1.17, P=0.016). Religious morality was positively related to inhibited desire, inhibited arousal, and sexual pain disorders (beta=0.43, P<0.001, beta=0.52, P=0.001, and beta=0.11, P=0.044, respectively). Intimate communication was negatively related to inhibited desire, inhibited arousal, and inhibited orgasm (beta=-2.18, P<0.001, beta=-2.67, P<0.001, and beta=-0.21, P=0.003, respectively); and body image was negatively related to inhibited arousal and sexual pain disorders (beta=-1.17, P=0.026 and beta=-0.38, P=0.042, respectively). CONCLUSION: Sexual health disturbances among urban Croatian women are frequent. Their prevalence calls for incorporating sexual health issues in the national public health agenda. Multifaceted character of sexual problems is important for adult sexuality education and counseling.

Adult↗

[Problems of erectile dysfunction prevalence].

According to non-clinical studies, erectile dysfunction (ED) seems to be the fastest growing among male sexual problems. Its prevalence range widened from 4%-9% in 1990 to 10%-52% in 2000. The paper is an attempt at understanding this new and rampant "epidemic". Instead of trying to pinpoint its "natural" causes, the author aims to decipher the socially constructed dynamics of the disorder. The approach is based on a qualitative investigation of the scientific conceptualization and measuring of ED. The analysis points out serious shortcomings, which contradict the much-celebrated usefulness of the 1992 NIH Panel's consensus on impotence. More importantly, the observed measurement differences call into question the usefulness of the current research on the prevalence of ED. Using data from the first Croatian study on male sexual dysfunction, the author demonstrates the seriousness of problems stemming from the use of non-standardized measures. In conclusion, the steps for reaching the necessary standardization are outlined.

Erectile Dysfunction↗