Abstract

Background:
It is widely known that soldiers who are sent out on international missions are at high risk of developing PTSD. A diagnosis which often affects sexuality negatively, and where the medical treatment also affects sexuality markedly. A sexuality which in our late modern world contains more nuanced perspectives, which all affect one another internally. How Danish veterans with PTSD experience that their sexuality is affected in connec-tion with the diagnosis and which consequences these have for their general quality of life is however not so well documented.

Purpose:
The purpose of this project was to investigate and bring forth knowledge about how Danish veterans experi-ence that their sexuality, seen in a bio-psycho-social perspective, is affected in connection with PTSD at the end of their mission(s) and whether they feel a need for sexological counseling in connection with their treat-ment of PTSD.

Method:
This project is based on the qualitative research method and uses qualitative interview research in the form of semi structured interviews as a method of gathering data. Four Danish veterans diagnosed with PTSD, and who have all been treated through the Danish Defence within the last 10 years participated in this research.

Result:
The findings of the project show that all informants are affected in different ways within all three of the bio-psycho-social perspectives. Three of the informants narrate about sexual challenges and sexual dysfunctions in the form of erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory- and orgasm problems and a reduced sexual desire, whereas one informant tells of an extremely high degree of desire. The findings also show that veterans with PTSD experience that their life changes markedly in existential areas such as career, close relations, identity, and sexuality, and it is concluded that the sexual challenges affect the informants' quality of life markedly.

Conclusion:
It is concluded that the treatment received by veterans on sexual troubles is based on an antiquated view of sexuality and that this has resulted in a lack of handling of sexual troubles which has further impacted couples relations and the general quality of life markedly. This project further clarifies that veterans with PTSD express and have expressed a big wish for sexological couples counseling to their therapists, but that there seems to be one or more barriers at play regarding expressing and handling this subject by therapists.