To Say or not to Say: Dyadic Ambivalence over Emotional Expression and Its Associations with Pain, Sexuality, and Distress in Couples Coping with Provoked Vestibulodynia

Awada, Nayla; Bergeron, Sophie; Steben, Marc; Hainault, Victoria‐Ann; McDuff, Pierre

doi:10.1111/jsm.12463

Cited by 36 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Paired‐sample t ‐tests revealed that women had significantly higher scores on the CPAQ‐R than their partners ( t (60) = 3.51, P < 0.01). Additionally, consistent with previous research [50], women in the present sample were significantly more anxious ( t (60) = 4.53, P < 0.01) and depressed ( t (64) = 4.48, P < 0.01) and reported lower sexual functioning ( t (45) = −8.10, P < 0.01) than their partners. There was no significant difference in sexual satisfaction between women and their partners ( t (59) = −1.75, P = 0.09).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Acceptance of Vulvovaginal Pain in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: Associations with Pain, Psychological, and Sexual Adjustment

Boerner

Rosen

2015

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Introduction Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common vulvovaginal pain condition associated with negative psychological and sexual consequences for affected women and their sexual partners. Greater pain acceptance has been found to be associated with better functional and psychological outcomes in individuals with chronic pain, and acceptance-based strategies are being increasingly incorporated into treatment protocols. The present study is a novel investigation of pain acceptance in PVD couples. Aim The aim was to examine the associations between acceptance of vulvovaginal pain and women's pain during intercourse, as well as the psychological and sexual adjustment of both women with PVD and their partners. Methods Sixty-one couples (Mage for women = 27.95 years, SD = 5.87; Mage for men = 30.48 years, SD = 6.70) in which the woman was diagnosed with PVD completed the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, in reference to women's vulvovaginal pain. Women also rated their pain during intercourse, and couples completed measures of anxiety, depression, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction. Main Outcome Measures Dependent measures were (i) women's self-reported pain during intercourse on a numerical rating scale; (ii) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory trait subscale; (iii) Beck Depression Inventory-II; (iv) Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning; and (v) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale. Results Women's greater pain acceptance was associated with their lower self-reported pain during intercourse, controlling for partner's pain acceptance. Greater pain acceptance among women was associated with their own lower anxiety and depression, greater sexual functioning, as well as their own and their partner's greater sexual satisfaction, controlling for the partner's pain acceptance. Additionally, greater pain acceptance among male partners was associated with their own lower depression. Conclusions Findings suggest that psychological interventions for PVD should target increasing couples' vulvovaginal pain acceptance in order to improve women's pain and the sexual and psychological functioning of both members of the couple.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Acceptance of Vulvovaginal Pain in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: Associations with Pain, Psychological, and Sexual Adjustment

Boerner

Rosen

2015

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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“…Additionally, this study showed that both women with dyspareunia and their male partners who reported better dyadic sexual communication also reported better dyadic adjustment. This finding is in line with recent results from studies focusing on dyspareunia couples, showing that those who report low ambivalence over emotional expression or who talk more easily about personal topics such as sexuality, report better dyadic adjustment [22]. It also confirms findings from the chronic pain, communication and relationship literatures showing that better communication in general and better sexual communication in particular are associated with better dyadic adjustment in both women and men [25,26,32,34,54].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Dyadic Sexual Communication in Pre-Menopausal Women with Self-Reported Dyspareunia and Their Partners: Associations with Sexual Function, Sexual Distress and Dyadic Adjustment

Pazmany

Bergeron

Verhaeghe

et al. 2015

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Introduction While there is increasing interest in studying aspects of communication processes in sex research, the association between dyadic sexual communication and relationship and sexuality outcomes has not yet been examined in pre-menopausal women with dyspareunia. Aim To examine the associations between dyadic sexual communication and pain, sexual distress, sexual function and dyadic adjustment in women with self-reported dyspareunia and their male partners. Methods Pre-menopausal women (n = 38; M age = 24.92, SD = 6.12) with self-reported dyspareunia from a community sample and their partners (n = 38; M age = 26.71, SD = 6.59) completed an online survey. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was used in order to investigate both actor and partner effects. Main Outcome Measures Both members of the couple completed: (i) the Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale and (ii) the Dyadic Adjustment Scale; women also completed (iii) the Female Sexual Function Index, (iv) the Female Sexual Distress Scale, and (v) a Visual Analogue Scale on pain during intercourse; and men also completed (vi) the International Index of Erectile Functioning. Results Controlling for relationship duration, women's better dyadic sexual communication was significantly associated with their higher levels of sexual function (P = 0.028), lower levels of sexual distress (P = 0.003) and higher levels of dyadic adjustment (P = 0.005), but not with their pain or men's sexual function or dyadic adjustment. Controlling for relationship duration, men's better dyadic sexual communication was associated with their higher levels of dyadic adjustment (P = 0.027) but not with their sexual function, nor with women's sexual function or dyadic adjustment. Conclusions These findings contribute to the theoretical knowledge on interaction processes in couples with dyspareunia and suggest that it may be important to enhance open and direct communication about sexual matters in couples with dyspareunia.

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“…Couples' greater ambivalence over emotional expression (a marker of poor emotion regulation) has been associated with reductions in their sexual satisfaction and function, psychological adjustment, and relationship adjustment [73]. Furthermore, studies examining male partners' pain-related cognitions showed that their lower pain catastrophizing was associated with women's lower pain [74] and partners' greater pain acceptance was associated with their own lower incidence of depressive symptoms [75].…”

Section: Relationship Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There have been repeated recommendations to include the partner in therapy given the interpersonal factors involved in women's sexual pain [81,73]. Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy (CBCT) for couples with vulvodynia is described as an integrative pain management and sex therapy intervention delivered to couples over 12 weekly 60-min sessions and includes psychoeducation, introduction of pain management techniques, communication skill building, sexual re-approach, discussion and development of sexual narratives, and mindfulness-and acceptance-based exercises [119].…”

Section: Psychosocial Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female Sexual Pain Disorders: a Review of the Literature on Etiology and Treatment

Bergeron

Corsini‐Munt

Aerts

et al. 2015

Curr Sex Health Rep

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Female sexual pain disorders, although highly prevalent and increasingly studied, remain a distressing complaint for women and their partners. Empirical evidence points to a multifactorial conceptualization of the etiology, course, and associated difficulties of sexual pain; thus, treatment options span the medical, pelvic floor rehabilitation psychological and multimodal. Given the interpersonal context in which sexual pain occurs, recent work has underscored the importance of considering the dyadic framework in research and treatment. This review presents understanding from across disciplines focusing on the impact of sexual pain on the woman and the couple, proposed etiologic pathways and risk factors related to its development and course, and current treatment options. Recommendations for research point to an urgency for multidisciplinary exchanges in the development of conceptual models and refinement of targeted interventions.

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To Say or not to Say: Dyadic Ambivalence over Emotional Expression and Its Associations with Pain, Sexuality, and Distress in Couples Coping with Provoked Vestibulodynia

Abstract: Introduction. Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a highly prevalent and taxing female genital

Cited by 36 publications

References 60 publications

Acceptance of Vulvovaginal Pain in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: Associations with Pain, Psychological, and Sexual Adjustment

Acceptance of Vulvovaginal Pain in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: Associations with Pain, Psychological, and Sexual Adjustment

Dyadic Sexual Communication in Pre-Menopausal Women with Self-Reported Dyspareunia and Their Partners: Associations with Sexual Function, Sexual Distress and Dyadic Adjustment

Female Sexual Pain Disorders: a Review of the Literature on Etiology and Treatment

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