How To Order Informative Tapes Information about Marvin S. Beitner, Ph.D. Sexual problems in adulthood may be related to feelings of personal inadequacy, conflicting feelings regarding the opposite sex, severe family or religious training regarding sexuality, or experiences of sexual abuse in childhood. The effects of childhood sexual abuse are particularly damaging. Such experiences are often kept secret by the victim, leaving scars of shame, confusion, guilt and an inability to trust a sexual partner. It is important to recognize that adult sexual problems are not always due to childhood sexual abuse. The most common problems in women include diminished sexual desire and problems in achieving a climax.
Couples often have problems because their levels of sexual interest are different.
The stereotype that it is the man who wants more sexual activity than the woman is not always correct. I see many couples in my practice where the opposite problem exists. Other symptoms may involve forms of sexual behavior which are problematic, including an obsessive preoccupation with sexuality. This may take the form of compulsive seeking of multiple sexual partners or prostitutes, compulsive masturbation, a compulsive preoccupation with pornography, or compulsive involvement with sexual liaisons through chat rooms on the internet. Treatment of sexual problems always starts with a good psychosocial history including, but not restricted to the nature and history of the problem.