Effects of drug use and anxiety on premature ejaculation in a sample of Spanish drug addicts

Introduction: Premature ejaculation may be due to many factors and one of them may be drug use. Aims: The main objective of this study is to show how drug abuse affects the ejaculatory response, keeping in mind the different substances consumed, the level of anxiety and the period of withdrawal. Method: Two samples were used, one for men who were addicted to drugs (N = 925) and one of non-consumers (N = 82). Both samples were selected from 28 treatment centers. The Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) questionnaire and the State Anxiety Trait Questionnaire (STAt) were used. Results: The results show that men with a history of consumption obtain higher percentages in premature ejaculation compared to non-users (44.3% > 15.9%) and also higher mean scores in anxiety (State Anxiety = 19.83 > 11, 89; Trait Anxiety = 25.66 > 12.39). These differences were statistically significant (P=.000). The results confirm that the withdrawal period does not improve ejaculatory response and having a partner does not work as a protective factor in premature ejaculation. Conclusions: Men with a history of drug use are more likely to suffer from premature ejaculation and higher levels of anxiety, which does not improve during the period of withdrawal, leading to the belief that drug users have personality traits that facilitate premature ejaculation and/or that the neurological damages caused by the drugs contribute to a decrease in the intravaginal ejaculatory latency, issues that should be studied in future investigations. (C) 2018 Asociacion Espanola de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual y Reproductiva. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.