Premature ejaculation: Pharmacotherapy vs group psychotherapy alone or in combination


Submitted: October 11, 2016
Accepted: March 1, 2017
Published: June 30, 2017
Abstract Views: 2451
PDF: 1630
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Authors

  • Carlo Pavone Section of Urology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
  • Daniela Abbadessa Section of Urology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
  • Giuseppa Gambino Section of Urology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
  • Giovanna Scaduto Section of Urology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
  • Marco Vella Section of Urology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Objectives: Premature Ejaculation (PE), the commonest sexual dysfunction in males, is generally treated with local anesthetic and SSRI (Dapoxetine). The aim of our study was investigate Group Psychotherapy as an alternative treatment for PE and compare the efficacy of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy, either alone or in combination, in terms of response and improved Quality of Life (QoL). From a male outpatient population screened for PE, those who received a diagnosis of PE were proposed for the study, enrolled and divided into 3 groups (A, B and C). Each group was treated with Dapoxetine, Group Psychotherapy alone and Dapoxetine and Group Psychotherapy, respectively. Materials and methods: Out of 1237 male outpatients, 353 received a diagnosis of Premature Ejaculation. Of them, 279 were enrolled in the study and randomized into 3 groups (A, B and C). Only 157 patients were evaluable. Before and after treatments all participants completed two questionnaires to evaluate PE status and anxiety and referred their IELT. Results: GROUP A: The mean post-treatment Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) score decreased from 12.95 to 8.26, while the mean Intra-vaginal Ejaculation Latency Time (IELT) increased from 50.77 sec to 203 sec. (p < 0.05); GROUP B: Reduction in the mean PEDT from 13.44 to 5.11 and an increased IELT from 48.33 to 431.11 sec (p < 0.001); GROUP C: The mean post-treatment PEDT score decreased from 12.29 to 5.57, while the mean IELT increased from 46.86 to 412.14 sec (p < 0.001). All groups recorded an improvement in anxiety. Conclusions: According to our results Group Psychotherapy is an alternative method of treatment for PE. Group Psychotherapy plays a significant role in the treatment of PE, determining a better improvement of symptoms than Dapoxetine alone even if not statistically significant.

Pavone, C., Abbadessa, D., Gambino, G., Scaduto, G., & Vella, M. (2017). Premature ejaculation: Pharmacotherapy vs group psychotherapy alone or in combination. Archivio Italiano Di Urologia E Andrologia, 89(2), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2017.2.114

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