Schizophrenia: Sexual Dysfunctions and Internalized Stigma

The sexuality of patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) is characterized by a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD). These have negative repercussions on the course of the disease, contribute to the alteration of patients' quality of life (QoL) and to the maintenance of thoughts of self-stigmatization and consequent difficulties in integrating into social life. The aims of this study were to assess DS, QoL and internalized stigma in a population of patients with SCZ, to identify the clinical and therapeutic factors associated with DS and to determine their relationship with QoL and internalized stigma. The prevalence of DS was 67.9%. Factors correlated with DS were high PANSS "negative" scores (p=0.006), PANSS "total" scores (p=0.04) as well as APC treatment (p=0.027), impaired HRQoL (p=0.045), and a high level of internalized stigma (p=0.011). Our study underlines the importance of the impact of DS on disease prognosis through internalized stigma and impaired HRQoL.