Sex roles and sexual dysfunction in college students

We conducted an assessment of the nature and prevalence of sexual dysfunctions and concerns within a nonclinical population of university students. Our hypotheses were that (a) sexual pressures would be more positively related to manifest sexual performance dysfunctions among masculine sex‐typed men than among nonmasculine sex‐typed men and that (b) androgynous subjects would report fewer sexual problems and concerns than nonandrogynous subjects. A questionnaire composed of the short form of the Bern Sex‐Role Inventory and questions regarding sexual activities, concerns, and dysfunctions was mailed to a stratified random sample of undergraduate and graduate students. Among the 43% of students who returned the survey, approximately 13% reported experiencing sexual performance dysfunctions. The hypothesis that sexual pressure from a partner would be more closely associated with sexual dysfunctioning for masculine sex‐typed men than for non‐masculine sex‐typed men was supported. However, androgynous respondents did not report lower levels of sexual dysfunction or concern than did nonandrogynous respondents.