The Modification of Male Sexual Behavior: Premature Ejaculation.

Premature ejaculation is reported to be the most easily remedied of all male sexual dysfunctions. Nevertheless it has been and continues to be a problem for one-quarter to one-third of the adult male population. The continuing high incidence may be due at least in part to a lack of knowledge. Efforts to transmit information about a commonly used and successful procedure appear to have been inadequate. Previous studies of group treatment suggest that this may be one successful, though somewhat costly method of transmitting the appropriate knowledge. Self-instruction manuals, on the other h and , while less costly, have also proved less effective. As is known, however, effectiveness of self-instruction is at least to some extent, a function of the procedures followed in developing the self-instructional materials. This is a study of the efficacy of a self-instructional program developed over a four-year period, and used by men without supervision, in order to ameliorate the problem of premature ejaculation. Self-instruction was evaluated by comparing it with group instruction and with a waiting list control. Variables were the duration of coitus, and feelings of control of ejaculation, both on self-reports. Thirty men living in the Detroit metropolitan area and complaining of premature ejaculation volunteered to participate in the study. Each was assigned to one of three groups of ten. The first group met once each week for six weeks for group therapy. The second group received a self-instruction manual, and subjects were interviewed at the beginning and end of a six-week period. The third group was placed on a waiting list, and these subjects were also interviewed at the beginning and end of the six-week period. A one-way analysis of variance of data on duration of coitus and control of ejaculation, gathered at the beginning of the six-week period, showed no significant differences among the three groups. At the end of the six-week period, the group instruction and the self-instruction subjects made significant improvement of both duration of coitus (p < .05) and subjective feelings of control of ejaculation (p < .01), whereas the control subjects showed no change. The group instruction subjects increased from a mean of 2.4 minutes spent in coitus, to a mean of 9.6 minutes, while mean self-ratings of control increased from 2.4 to 5.1, on a scale of 0-9. There was no significant difference between the two treatment groups in the effectiveness of the training. It was concluded that self-instruction can be as effective as group instruction for ameliorating the problem of premature ejaculation if the self-instruction materials are carefully developed, and that self-instruction is more cost-effective than group therapy. There was some evidence that failure to respond to instruction might be due to nature of the relationship with the sexual partner.PhDEducational psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158310/1/8116297.pd