Impulse control tied to ejaculation time in men with PE

Impulse control appears to be associated with ejaculation time in men with premature ejaculation (PE), suggest the results of a cross-sectional observational study.

Researchers examined patients who presented to the clinic with complaints of PE between March 2023 and March 2024. A total of 40 men with lifelong PE and 40 health control participants were included.

The UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 (BIS-11) were used to assess impulse control, while the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were utilized to measure the levels of depression and anxiety, respectively. Finally, the researchers evaluated PE severity using the Arabic Index of PE (AIPE).

The mean AIPE score was 15.13 in men with PE and 32.05 in controls (p<0.001). The PE group had significantly higher UPSS Impulsive Behavior Scale scores in all subscales (p<0.001 for planning, urgency, and lack of perseverance; p=0.001 for sensation seeking) and total scores (p<0.001) than the control group. 

Men with PE also had significantly higher BIS-11 scores than controls for all subscales (p<0.001 for all). The levels of anxiety and depression were also higher in the PE than the control group (p<0.001 for all).

“It is important for clinicians to assess impulse control and consider therapeutic interventions for men presenting with PE complaints, particularly in those classified as severe,” the researchers said. 

The study was limited by its sample size, driven by the need for patients and their partners to measure the time to ejaculation, which made it difficult to generalize the findings, according to researchers.