Department of Psychology, York University, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Canada.
J Psychosom Res. 2018 Mar;106:34-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.01.006. Epub 2018 Jan 10.
To examine the role of a novel motivational perspective-sexual communal motivation-in women's pain during intercourse and both partners' distress in couples coping with vulvodynia, a prevalent gynecological pain condition. Our goal was to test whether sexual communal strength (i.e., motivation to meet a partner's sexual needs) and unmitigated sexual communion (i.e., prioritization of a partner's sexual needs in neglect of one's own needs) were indirectly associated with pain, depression, and anxiety via sexual distress.
Couples (N=101) completed daily surveys about their sexual communal motivation, sexual distress, anxiety, depression, and women reported on their pain during intercourse. Using multilevel modeling, we examined how daily fluctuations in sexual communal motivation were directly and indirectly (via sexual distress) associated with pain and psychological distress.
On days when women with vulvodynia reported higher sexual communal strength, they reported less pain and anxiety, and on days when they reported higher unmitigated sexual communion, they reported more pain, more anxiety, and both partners reported more depressive symptoms. Daily associations between women's unmitigated sexual communion and greater pain, depression and anxiety were mediated by sexual distress.
Being motivated to meet a partner's sexual needs was associated with less pain and anxiety for women with vulvodynia, but when this motivation excluded a focus on one's own needs, there were detrimental consequences for women's pain and both partners' depressive symptoms. Interventions for improving women's pain and the psychological well-being of affected couples should target motivational factors and sexual distress.
探讨一种新的动机视角——性共通动机，在女性性交疼痛以及应对外阴痛的伴侣双方痛苦中的作用。外阴痛是一种常见的妇科疼痛疾病。我们的目标是检验性共通力量（即满足伴侣性需求的动机）和未缓和的性共通（即优先考虑伴侣的性需求而忽视自身需求）是否通过性困扰，间接地与疼痛、抑郁和焦虑相关。
共 101 对伴侣完成了关于性共通动机、性困扰、焦虑、抑郁以及女性性交疼痛的日常调查。我们采用多层次模型，检验了女性性交疼痛和心理困扰的性共通动机的日常波动是如何直接和间接（通过性困扰）相关的。
当患有外阴痛的女性报告更高的性共通力量时，她们报告的疼痛和焦虑程度较低，而当报告更高的未缓和的性共通时，她们报告的疼痛程度更高，焦虑程度更高，并且双方都报告了更多的抑郁症状。女性未缓和的性共通与更大的疼痛、抑郁和焦虑之间的日常关联，通过性困扰得到介导。
满足伴侣性需求的动机与患有外阴痛的女性的疼痛和焦虑程度降低有关，但当这种动机排除了对自身需求的关注时，会对女性的疼痛和双方的抑郁症状产生不利影响。改善女性疼痛和受影响伴侣心理健康的干预措施应针对动机因素和性困扰。
