AbstracIntroduction: Masturbation usually is a normal precursor of object-related sexual behavior and a form of sexual pleasure that generally lasts throughout a person's lifetime. Masturbation is a psychopathological symptom only when it becomes a compulsion beyond an individual's willful control. The misconceptions about masturbation are highly prevalent in general population especially in those with psychosexual problems. Study Aim: To find out the guilt and misconceptions about masturbation in patients with psychosexual disorders. Method: 155 male subjects who fulfilled inclusion criteria were taken up for study. Subjects having age below 18 years or were not willing to participate were excluded. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 26.3 years. Majority of the subjects were educated graduate and above (56.8%), married (52.9%), from rural locality (90.9%), from nuclear family (63.2%), Hindu by religion (89.0%) and belonging to lower socioeconomic class (51.6%). The mean age at the start of masturbation was 16 years, mean duration of masturbation was 5.7 years and mean frequency of masturbation was 2.6 times per week. Most common misconception about masturbation was that ‘Masturbation is usually harmful to one’s health’ followed by that ‘Semen is a derivative of blood, ‘Masturbation leads to the rapid depletion of semen and that ‘Masturbation leads to impotence’. Conclusion: Misconceptions about masturbation were highly prevalent among subjects. Patients especially those with psychosexual disorders still relate their current physical and sexual problems to adolescent masturbation. There is a need for proper sexual health education among people.

Keywords: Masturbation, guilt, misconceptions, sexual dysfunctions.