Relationship between employment status and sexual functioning after traumatic brain injury

Objective: To determine if correlations exist between employment status and sexual functioning in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Descriptive cross-sectional. Setting: Community. Participants: One hundred and forty-six English-speaking, community dwelling adults, without other neurological or psychiatric disorder that could impact outcome and (1) enrolled in TBI Model Systems sexuality study database or (2) admitted to Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago with primary diagnosis of TBI between 2004-2006. Main outcome measures: Employment status, annual income, Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning Self Report (DISF-SR) sum and sub-scale scores, Global Sexual Satisfaction Index (GSSI). Results: No significant difference was found in GSSI scores between employed, unemployed or students/volunteers (p = 0.20); however, lower income marginally correlated with lower GSSI scores (p = 0.09). Marginally significant lower DISF-SR Sexual Cognition sub-group (p = 0.09) scores were found in unemployed vs. employed. Lower annual income also correlated with lower DISF-SR sum scores (p = 0.06), Sexual cognition/fantasy (p = 0.07), Orgasm/ejaculation (p = 0.003) and Sexual drive and relationship (p = 0.01) scores. Conclusions: Lower quality sexual functioning and satisfaction was present in persons with TBI and concomitant unemployment or lower annual income. Efforts are needed to increase awareness amongst the TBI population and rehabilitation professionals of the potential impact unemployment or financial stress has on sexual functioning and satisfaction.