J Sex Med 2007;4:72–82 © 2006 International Society for Sexual Medicine 72 Blackwell Publishing IncMalden, USAJSMJournal of Sexual Medicine1743-6095© 2006 International Society for Sexual Medicine20063••••Original Article Acculturation and Sexual Function in MenBrotto et al. ORIGINAL RESEARCH—PSYCHOLOGY Acculturation and Sexual Function in Canadian East Asian Men Lori A. Brotto, PhD,* Jane S.T. Woo, MA, † and Andrew G. Ryder, PhD ‡ *University of British Columbia––Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Vancouver; † University of British Columbia––Psychology, Vancouver; ‡ Concordia University, Montreal, Canada DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00388.x ABSTRACT Introduction. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of considering acculturation when investigating the sexuality of East Asian women in North America. Moreover, bidimensional assessment of both heritage and mainstream cultural affiliations provides significantly more information about sexual attitudes than simple unidi- mensional measures, such as length of residency in the Western culture. Aim. The goal of this study was to extend the findings in women to a sample of East Asian men. Main Outcome Measures. Self-report measures of sexual behaviors, sexual responses, and sexual satisfaction. Methods. Euro-Canadian (N = 124) and East Asian (N = 137) male university students privately completed a battery of questionnaires in exchange for course credit. Results. Group comparisons revealed East Asian men to have significantly lower liberal sexual attitudes and experiences, and a significantly lower proportion had engaged in sexual intercourse compared with the Euro- Canadian sample. In addition, the East Asian men had significantly higher Impotence and Avoidance subscale scores on the Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction, a measure of sexual dysfunction. Focusing on East Asian men alone, mainstream acculturation, but not length of residency in Canada, was significantly related to sexual attitudes, experiences, and responses. Conclusions. Overall, these data replicate the findings in women and suggest that specific acculturation effects over and above length of residency should be included in the cultural assessment of men’s sexual health. Brotto LA, Woo JST, and Ryder AG. Acculturation and sexual function in Canadian East Asian men. J Sex Med 2007;4:72–82. Key Words. Acculturation; Culture; East Asian Culture; Male Sexual Function; Sexual Dysfunction Introduction uman sexuality is very much influenced by culture, and East Asian discomfort with sex- uality can be observed in myriad settings [1–3]. Discussions of a sexual nature are taboo in Chi- nese families, where older generations, having themselves received inadequate sex education, prefer not to talk about it [4]. Schools provide minimal sex education, and even health profes- sionals shy away from discussing sexuality [5]. Sex is also considered a private issue in Japanese and Korean societies and is rarely discussed in H public [6,7]. This restrained sexuality is a result of the emphasis placed on propriety and compli- ance with strict moral and social codes in many Asian cultures [8]. Despite the cultural differ- ences in sexual openness, a review of a quarter century of sexuality research published between 1971 and 1995 reveals that only 26% of research articles reported on the cultural attributes of the sample, with ethnicity included as a variable of interest in a mere 7% of the articles [9]. Whereas greater attention has been given to ethnicity in contemporary sexuality research, with twice as many recent articles including ethnicity as a vari-