Psychological Distress is Correlated with Erectile Dysfunction Among Patients Receiving Methadone Maintenance in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Objective: Although erectile dysfunction (ED) is prevalent in patients receiving long-term methadone maintenance, studies in Chinese culture exploring the relationship between psychological distress and ED are scarce. Methods: One hundred eighty-seven male patients in methadone maintenance treatment were assessed in this cross-sectional study. Instruments included the Opiate Treatment Index (OTI) to evaluate the health-related consequences of methadone treatment and the Chinese Health Questionnaire-12 (CHQ-12) for the assessment of psychological distress, respectively. ED was defined by the International Index of Erectile Function 15. Quality of life was measured using the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions. We constructed a multiple linear regression model to examine the associations between the determinants and ED. Results: The CHQ-12 score had a significant relationship with the severity of ED after controlling for all important variables. The social functioning domain of the OTI and methadone dose was also significantly correlated with ED. Conclusions: The strong relationship between psychological distress and ED emphasized the importance of both diagnosis and management of ED among methadone patients receiving long-term maintenance treatment. The etiological relationship between methadone dose and ED require further investigation.

KEYWORDS:

• Methadone
• erectile dysfunction
• Chinese Health Questionnaire-12
• Opiate Treatment Index
• quality of life

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Shuo-Yen Ting, the director of the Department of Psychiatry at Chang-Hua Hospital, for his invaluable assistance with the recruitment methods and results. In addition, we extend our sincere appreciation to our participating networks: the research teams of Jianan Psychiatric Center and Chang-Hua Hospital.

Disclosures

All authors report no financial or other possible conflicts of interest.

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuen, Taiwan (MOHW-10646, MOHW-10444 and MOHW-10445).