By Darragh McDonagh

Galway men are being asked to rise to the challenge of participating in a study on the impact of sexual dysfunction and general health.

A local research centre is seeking volunteers over the age of 18 to take part in the study, which will aim to improve the understanding of men’s sexual problems in Ireland and its impact on overall wellbeing.

The Centre for Research on Occupational and Life Stress and School of Psychology at NUI Galway is offering participants the chance to enter a draw for a One4All gift voucher worth €100 for assisting the pioneering study.

“To our knowledge, to date, no research has examined Irish men’s understanding and experience of sexual problems,” said Lorraine McDonagh, lead researcher on the study. “In addition, previous research in this area in other countries has mostly focused on heterosexual men.”

The research centre is encouraging both heterosexual and homosexual men to participate in the study as they seek to expand the existing understanding of men’s sexual problems and their effect on broader good health.

Previous studies have suggested that more than half of men over the age of 40 suffer from sexual dysfunction, although the number of younger men suffering from such problems has seldom been quantified.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.