Effects of Appraisal of Sexual Stimuli on Sexual Arousal in Women with and Without Superficial Dyspareunia

Bibliographic Data

ID8358341
AuthorsMarieke Brauer (0000-0001-6759-4921, Leiden University Medical Center, corresponding author), Moniek M ter Kuile (0000-0003-3436-7073, Leiden University Medical Center), Ellen Laan (0000-0001-6084-9207, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam)
Year2009
Volume38
Issue4
Pages476-485
Publication date2009-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchives of Sexual Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-0002 • E-ISSN: 1573-2800
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10508-008-9371-8
PMID18561015
PMCIDPMC2695553
OpenAlexW2111893881
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited39

This study examined the effects of appraisal of sexual stimuli on sexual arousal in women with superficial dyspareunia (n = 50) and sexually functional women (n = 25). To elicit different appraisals of an erotic film fragment, participants received an instruction prior to viewing it, with a focus on genital pain or on sexual enjoyment. A neutral instruction served as a control condition. Assignment to instruction condition was randomized. Genital arousal (vaginal pulse amplitude) and self-report ratings of affect and genital sensations were obtained in response to the erotic stimulus. As predicted, appraisal of the erotic stimulus affected genital responding, albeit marginally significant. Follow-up tests indicated that women who received the genital pain instruction responded with marginally significant lower genital arousal levels than women who received the sexual enjoyment instruction (d = 0.67). A significant instruction effect for negative affect was found, signifying that negative affect ratings were highest after the genital pain instruction and lowest after the sexual enjoyment instruction (d = 0.80). A marginally significant group by instruction interaction effect was observed for positive affect, indicating that women with dyspareunia reported significantly less positive affect than controls after the sexual enjoyment instruction (d = 1.48). Whereas women with dyspareunia reported overall marginally significant more negative affect than controls (d = 0.48), there were no differences in genital responsiveness between groups. These results provided preliminary evidence for the modulatory effects of appraisal of sexual stimuli on subsequent genital responding and affect in women with and without sexual complaints

Affect (linguistics) · Arousal · Audiology · Developmental psychology · Psychotherapist · Sex organ · Sexual arousal · Stimulus (psychology) · Clinical Psychology · Communication · Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues · Medicine · Psychology · Sexual function and dysfunction studies · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

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