Erectile Problems in Polish Straight, Bisexual, and Gay Men: Does Sexual Identity Really Matter?

ABSTRACT

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most common sexual health diagnoses in men. Previous studies demonstrated that ED can be even more prevalent among sexual minority men. This study investigated whether sexual identity is related to erectile function (EF) and explored variables possibly contributing to the differences between Polish straight and sexual minority men. The study sample included 1,246 gay, 838 straight, and 535 bisexual men who participated in an online survey. First, the psychometric qualities of the IIEF-2-EF scale used in the study were examined through confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis; a correction to account for potential bias in the questionnaire was also applied. Next, a series of univariate and multivariable models accounting for predictors possibly contributing to the observed differences between the groups of men were conducted. It was demonstrated that gay and bisexual men were more likely to show poorer EF. However, as demonstrated in the subgroup of men who were in relationships, sexual identity lost its significance when the unique characteristics of minority men’s sexuality (i.e., less focus on insertive penetrative sex in gay men and more frequent relational non-exclusivity in bisexual men) were controlled for. Erectile problems in minority men may benefit from clinical consideration in the unique context of their sexuality.

Funding

This work was partially supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to maintain the research capacity of UJ CM Faculties (project number K/ZDS/ 00620).

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Prof. Grzegorz Iniewicz, PhD, from Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland for discussing with us the use of the Sexual Minority Stress Scale, which he translated and adapted to the Polish language.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2074952