Press Release
ATTENTION: CITY DESK/
Contact: Tom Capezzuto
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS
(973) 972-7273
E-mail: capezzta@umdnj.edu
At
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
UMDNJ Researcher Develops "Scale" To Help Gauge Erectile Dysfunction
A researcher at the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), in conjunction
with Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company, has developed a new scale
for measuring the psychological impact of erectile dysfunction on
partner relationships.
The scale was conducted
by Dr. Raymond C. Rosen, professor of psychiatry and director of
the Human Sexuality Program at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School in New Brunswick. Dr. Rosen conducted this research in collaboration
with Dr. Ralph Swindle of the Eli Lilly Co. in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He will present his research at a meeting of the International Society
for Sexual and Impotence Research meeting on Monday, September 23,
in Montreal, Canada.
Called Psychological
and Interpersonal Relationship Scales (PAIRS), the scale is a comprehensive
questionnaire covering four categories-time pressure, romance, misread
intentions and sexual self-confidence--and 29 questions related
to psychological and couples' reactions to erectile dysfunction
(ED). More than 500 individuals participated in the research that
led to the scale.
"Other instruments have
been developed to measure the physical or 'mechanical' aspects of
erections," Dr. Rosen said. "As treatments for this condition have
evolved, we decided that a scale also was needed to assess the psychological
and relationship elements associated with ED."
Erectile dysfunction,
defined as the consistent inability to attain and maintain an erection
sufficient for sexual intercourse. More than 152 million men worldwide,
including more than 30 million in the United States, experience
this disorder. "Up to 80 percent of ED cases are caused by physiological
conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, with
psychological factors accounting for the remaining 20 percent,"
Dr. Rosen said, "but in many cases, both psychological and physiological
factors contribute to the condition."
The project was funded
by Lilly ICOS, a component of Eli Lilly and Co.
To arrange an interview
with Dr. Rosen and receive a copy of the questionnaire, call Tom
Capezzuto at (973) 972-7273.
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