Washington:
According to an alarming study, young troops in the US suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) at nearly three times the rate of civilians their own age.
According to the findings, troops who reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were 30 times more likely to report ED and six times more likely to have probable sexual dysfunction (SD).
"It is clear that there is a strong relationship between sexual functioning and psychosocial factors. Specifically, the presence of mental and physical health problems were related to high levels of sexual function problems," explained Sherrie Wilcox, a research assistant professor at University of Southern California.
Researchers found 33 percent of 367 active-duty men aged 40 and below with symptoms of erectile dysfunction while 8.4 percent reported probable sexual dysfunction - low sex drive and ejaculation problems.
The age groups reporting the highest rates of ED were 31-35 and 36-40, with the latter reporting nearly twice the rate of ED than civilian men over age 40.
Those with depression, moderate to severe anxiety or who were sexual assault victims also were 10 to 13 times more likely to have ED or SD, USA Today reported.
The Pentagon, however, refuted the findings.
"Our analysis indicate that fewer than one percent of males under 40 in the active duty force in 2013 would be classified as having erectile dysfunction," Pentagon said in a press release.
The new study was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.