Formulating Review Question

Melillo, Karen Devereaux

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-37504-1_2

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…An integrative review, which can include diverse methods of research, was therefore employed to examine such broad phenomena of experience. 36 This mixed-methods integrated review was undertaken as the first study to summarize the existing literature on how women seek help for vaginismus, and its impact on their constructions of sense of self. Using a Population, Phenomena of Interest, and Context (PICo) framework, 37 an integrative literature review was conducted to answer the following question: What are women’s experiences to seek help for their vaginismus, and how does such help-seeking impact their sense of self?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The experiences of women seeking help for vaginismus and its impact on their sense of self: An integrative review

Pithavadian,

Chalmers,

Dune

2023

Womens Health (Lond Engl)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: There is low social awareness of vaginismus despite it being a relatively common female sexual dysfunction that makes vaginal penetration painful, difficult, and/or impossible. While existing literature on vaginismus has had a clinical focus on the affected genitalia, there is a lack of research on women’s help-seeking experiences of vaginismus from their perspective. Objectives: This integrative review’s objective was to explore: women’s help-seeking experiences of vaginismus, and how such help-seeking experiences impact their sense of self. Design: Cooper’s five-step integrative review approach was followed to develop a research question, a search strategy, selection criteria, and data evaluation, analysis, and presentation. Data Sources and Methods: A systematic search of the literature was completed in the following seven databases in January 2023: PsycINFO, ProQuest Central, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Embase. Out of the 373 articles found through database searches and additional citation searching, 22 studies were included in this review for meeting the eligibility criteria of having an empirical design, being written in English, and examining women’s help-seeking experiences for vaginismus and its impact on their sense of self. Results: Thematic analysis was used to summarize the findings from the included studies which were informed by 1671 participants. Help-Seeking Process, Medical Management, Help-Seeking and Sense of Self, and Holistic Care Recommendations from the Findings emerged as four major themes with corresponding subthemes. Conclusion: This review indicates that women continue to face difficulties in seeking and receiving help for vaginismus even through the healthcare system. However, the studies did not explicitly discuss how women’s help-seeking for vaginismus impacted their sense of self. This highlights an epistemological gap on how women’s help-seeking for their vaginismus impacts their sense of self, which can affect their treatment responses. Recommendations are provided for future healthcare and research to improve health outcomes for women with vaginismus.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%