The early life of Arab patients suffering from psychogenic sexual inadequacy. A review of some aspects.

Sixty-eight Arab patients suffering from psychogenic sexual inadequacy were compared with 54 non-psychiatric patients. The patients showed a greater preponderance of negative feelings towards their fathers and the opposite towards their mothers. Parental loss and disharmony were not significant contributory factors. More control subjects slept alone between the ages of 7 and 12 years. More patients slept with their brothers and sisters during the same interval. The rank distribution showed that the eldest first males figured prominently among the patients. The sexually inadequate patients showed a higher incidence of neurotic symptoms during childhood. A positive family history of mental illness did not differentiate patients from control subjects. The relevance of these findings in relation to cultural factors is discussed.