Socioeconomic status and treatment outcomes in women with genito-pelvic pain penetration disorder: A longitudinal study of a therapeutic educational program dataset

Sexual health is crucial for overall well-being, and dyspareunia (genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder) is a common sexual disorder that can be addressed through multimodal physiotherapy approaches, including education. However, it's unclear whether socioeconomic factors influence the effectiveness of educational therapies for dyspareunia. The dataset presented in this article was used in a pilot randomized controlled trial that aimed to investigate any potential correlation between socioeconomic status and the outcomes of a therapeutic educational program for dyspareunia, evaluating the impact of a therapeutic educational program on 69 women. The data measured pain intensity, pain-related outcomes, and sexual functioning over time. In February 2022, socioeconomic status measurements (age, educational level, household monthly income, and job rank) were collected. The analysis used Pearson's correlation index and Spearman's rho statistic to assess any correlations between these variables. The results of the correlation analysis indicated that there was no significant correlation between any of the outcomes of the intervention and the socioeconomic status measurements. The data analysis findings suggest that a therapeutic educational program can effectively improve pain intensity, pain-related outcomes, and sexual functioning in patients with persistent pelvic pain, regardless of their socioeconomic status. These findings have policy implications, as they suggest that education is a powerful tool that can improve sexuality outcomes for patients with dyspareunia, regardless of their socioeconomic background. The dataset contains the collected raw data, including partial participant demographics data and scores categorized by question group, as well as scores for each participant at each time point (before and after the intervention). This dataset can be used to further analyze the results and the study can be potentially replicated.

When Self-Worth Is Tied to One's Sexual and Romantic Relationship: Associations with Well-Being in Couples Coping with Genito-Pelvic Pain

Contingent self-worth (CSW; the pursuit of self-esteem via a particular domain in one's life) impacts well-being based on one's perceived success or failure in the contingent domain. In a community sample, individuals with sexual problems reported greater sexual CSW-self-worth dependent on maintaining a sexual relationship-than those without problems. Couples coping with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD), a genito-pelvic pain condition, perceive failures in their sexual relationship, which could be associated with more pain and poorer well-being. In contrast, relationship CSW-self-worth dependent on the overall romantic relationship-may act as a buffer against adverse outcomes. Eighty-two women with PVD and their partners completed online standardized measures of sexual and relationship CSW, sexual distress and satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and depressive symptoms, and women reported their pain intensity. Analyses were based on the actor-partner interdependence model. Women with PVD who reported greater sexual CSW experienced more sexual distress and pain. Additionally, when partners reported greater sexual CSW, they were less sexually and relationally satisfied and more sexually distressed, and women had greater depressive symptoms and lower relationship satisfaction. In contrast, when partners reported higher relationship CSW, they were more sexually and relationally satisfied and less sexually distressed, and women reported lower depressive symptoms and greater relationship satisfaction. Results suggest that couples' (particularly partners') greater sexual CSW is linked to poorer sexual, relational, and psychological well-being in couples affected by PVD, whereas partners' greater relationship CSW is associated with better well-being. Thus, sexual and relationship CSW may be important treatment targets for interventions aimed at improving how couples adjust to PVD.

Maintaining Affection Despite Pain: Daily Associations Between Physical Affection and Sexual and Relationship Well-Being in Women with Genito-Pelvic Pain

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a recurrent, genito-pelvic pain condition that affects 8-12 % of women and has negative implications for sexual and relationship functioning. Many women with PVD report avoiding physical affection because they are concerned that affectionate behavior will lead to painful sexual activity. In community samples, physical affection is associated with improved sexual and relational well-being; however, no research has assessed the influence of physical affection on well-being in women with PVD. The current study examined day-to-day, within-person associations between affectionate behavior (hugging/kissing, cuddling) and sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, sexual functioning, and pain intensity in women with PVD. Seventy women diagnosed with PVD completed an 8-week daily survey. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. All outcomes were assessed on days involving sexual activity (n = 401 days). Physical affection was assessed on days with and without sexual activity. Hugging/kissing was positively associated with sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and sexual functioning within any given day and when predicting the next day. Hugging/kissing was unrelated to pain intensity. Cuddling was not associated with any outcomes. Results persisted for affection that occurred on days with and without sexual activity. Findings suggest physical affection is beneficial for the sexual and relationship well-being of women with PVD. These results may inform interventions that encourage women coping with PVD to engage in more daily physical affection with their partners.

Interpersonal Goals and Well-Being in Couples Coping with Genito-Pelvic Pain

In the context of genito-pelvic pain, consideration of interpersonal goals is particularly relevant given that couples' distress is often predicated upon the relational setting. However, relationship goals have not been examined in this population. We investigated (1) the associations between relationship goals and women's pain during intercourse as well as the sexual, relational, and psychological well-being of women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) and their partners and (2) the moderating role of sexual goals in these associations. Women with PVD (N = 134) and their partners completed measures of relationship goals, sexual goals, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. Women also reported on their average pain intensity during intercourse. Women with stronger relationship approach goals reported more sexual satisfaction. When the partner pursued more relationship approach goals, both women and partners reported more sexual and relationship satisfaction and partners reported less depression. Stronger relationship avoidance goals in the partner were associated with less sexual satisfaction in women. Several significant interactions showed that the combination of relationship and sexual approach goals was associated with greater relationship and sexual satisfaction, and fewer depressive symptoms, whereas the combination of relationship and sexual avoidance goals was related to lower relationship satisfaction as well as to greater pain during intercourse for women. Targeting relationship approach and avoidance goals as well as those goals specific to sexual activity may improve the quality and efficacy of couples-based psychological interventions for PVD.