Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
J Sex Med. 2017 Nov;14(11):1412-1420. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.09.002. Epub 2017 Sep 28.
Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a prevalent form of vulvodynia that interferes with the sexual and relational functioning of affected couples. Approach and avoidance sexual goals are associated with the sexual and relationship well-being of women with PVD and their partners. However, whether sexual goals differ in couples coping with PVD compared with community couples is unknown.
To compare the approach and avoidance sexual goals of women with PVD and their partners with a control sample of community women and their partners to build on an established motivational model and to compare the sexual goals of women with PVD with those of their partners.
Women diagnosed with PVD and their partners (n = 161) and control couples (n = 172) completed measures of approach and avoidance sexual goals.
Approach and Avoidance Sexual Goals Questionnaire.
Women with PVD reported lower approach and higher avoidance sexual goals than control women, whereas partners of women with PVD did not differ from control partners in their sexual goals. Women with PVD also reported lower approach and higher avoidance sexual goals compared with their partners, whereas there were no differences between partners in the control sample.
Given that avoidance sexual goals have been linked to negative sexual and relational outcomes, clinicians could strive to help couples with PVD become aware of their sexual motives, with the aim of weakening avoidance sexual goals and bolstering approach sexual goals.
This is the first study to empirically document differences in sexual goals between couples affected by PVD and community couples. Limitations include the study's correlational design, differences in demographic characteristics between samples, and the homogeneity of participants' sexual orientation.
Findings suggest that the sexual goals of women affected by PVD differ from those of community women and from their partners and support sexual goals as targets for psychological interventions to help couples coping with PVD. Dubé JP, Bergeron S, Muise A, et al. A Comparison of Approach and Avoidance Sexual Goals in Couples With Vulvodynia and Community Controls. J Sex Med 2017;14:1412-1420.
诱发性阴道痉挛（PVD）是一种常见的阴道痉挛形式，会影响受影响夫妇的性和关系功能。接近和回避性目标与患有 PVD 的女性及其伴侣的性和关系幸福感相关。然而，与社区夫妇相比，应对 PVD 的夫妇的性目标是否存在差异尚不清楚。
比较患有 PVD 的女性及其伴侣与社区女性及其伴侣的接近和回避性目标，以建立在既定的动机模型的基础上，并比较患有 PVD 的女性与她们伴侣的性目标。
患有 PVD 的女性及其伴侣（n=161）和对照组夫妇（n=172）完成了接近和回避性目标的测量。
患有 PVD 的女性报告的接近性和回避性性目标低于对照组女性，而 PVD 女性的伴侣在性目标方面与对照组伴侣没有差异。与对照组中的伴侣相比，患有 PVD 的女性也报告了较低的接近性和较高的回避性性目标，而对照组中的伴侣之间没有差异。
鉴于回避性性目标与负面的性和关系结果有关，临床医生可以努力帮助患有 PVD 的夫妇了解他们的性动机，目的是削弱回避性性目标并增强接近性性目标。
这是第一项实证性研究，证明了受 PVD 影响的夫妇与社区夫妇之间性目标的差异。局限性包括研究的相关性设计、样本之间人口统计学特征的差异以及参与者性取向的同质性。
研究结果表明，受 PVD 影响的女性的性目标与社区女性和其伴侣的性目标不同，支持将性目标作为帮助应对 PVD 的夫妇的心理干预目标。
