Perceived partner responsiveness is associated with sexual well-being in couples with genito-pelvic pain.

Intimacy is vital to romantic relationships, yet is often thwarted by relational challenges, such as sexual difficulties. With prevalence estimates ranging from 10% to 28%, genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) is an important sexual problem resulting in negative consequences for affected women and their partners, including significant sexual dysfunction and dissatisfaction. Findings from cross-sectional studies indicate that higher levels of intimacy are associated with better sexuality outcomes in couples coping with GPPPD. However, single-occasion measurements may not capture the daily variations in intimacy that could have important implications for couples' sexual well-being. The present study focused on a key intimacy-building component-perceived partner responsiveness (PPR)-and its daily associations with women's pain and both partners' sexual function and satisfaction. Using daily diaries over an 8-week period, 160 women (Mage = 26.23, SD = 6.26) with GPPPD and their partners (Mage = 27.73, SD = 7.35) reported on PPR, sexual function and satisfaction, as well as women's pain, on days when sexual activity occurred (M = 8.87, SD = 5.87). Drawing on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, a multivariate multilevel modeling approach was adopted. Controlling for trait-level PPR, when women and partners reported greater PPR, women reported greater sexual function and satisfaction and partners reported greater sexual function. When partners reported greater PPR, they reported greater sexual satisfaction. No association was found between PPR and women's pain. PPR may facilitate better sexual function and satisfaction and could be an important target in sex and couple therapy for GPPPD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The word length effect in backward recall: the role of response modality.

In immediate serial recall, it is well known that participants are better at recalling short rather than long words. This benchmark memory effect, known as word length effect, has been observed numerous times in forward recall. However, in backward recall, when participants are required to recall items in the reverse order, contradictory findings have been reported. For instance, in some studies, the word length effect was abolished in backward recall, whereas in others it was maintained. In the present study, we investigated the role of response modality in accounting for this discrepancy. Our results showed that in forward recall, the word length effect is unaffected by response modality. In backward recall with a manual response (click or written), the word length effect is as large as in forward recall. Critically, when participants recalled a word orally, the word length effect was severely reduced in backward recall. We concluded that response modality interacts with the processes called upon in backward recall.

Are Depressive Symptoms and Attachment Styles Associated with Observed and Perceived Partner Responsiveness in Couples Coping With Genito-Pelvic Pain ?

Partner responsiveness is thought to facilitate relationship adjustment in couples coping with genito-pelvic pain, such as provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). Recent studies suggest that attachment and depressive symptoms may act as a filter in the perception of partner responsiveness, and a barrier to the capacity of being responsive to a partner. Given studies suggesting higher depressive symptoms and relationship insecurities in women experiencing genito-pelvic pain compared to controls, investigating the role of these factors in partner responsiveness may help couples improve their wellbeing in the challenging context of PVD. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between depressive symptoms, attachment, and perceived and observed partner responsiveness in 50 couples coping with PVD. Participants took part in a videotaped discussion and completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms, attachment, and perceived partner responsiveness. Based on the actor-partner interdependence model, results indicated that when women and partners reported greater depressive symptoms and anxious attachment, they perceived each other as being less responsive. When partners experienced greater depressive symptoms, women and partners were rated, by a trained observer, as being less responsive to each other. Targeting depressive symptoms and relationship insecurity in couple therapy could increase responsiveness in couples coping with PVD.

Pain Trajectories and Predictors: A 7-Year Longitudinal Study of Women With Vulvodynia.

INTRODUCTION: A significant proportion of women report a reduction of symptoms over time-even without treatment-yet the natural progression of vulvodynia and which factors may explain decrease vs persistence of pain remain unclear. AIM: To identify subgroups of pain trajectories in women with vulvodynia and to predict these different trajectories by treatments undertaken, pain characteristics, and psychosocial factors. METHODS: Data on pain intensity, treatments undertaken, pain characteristics, and psychosocial factors were collected 3 times over a 7-year period from 173 women who screened positive for vulvodynia. Latent class growth analysis was conducted to identify homogeneous subgroups with distinct pain trajectories. A multivariate binomial logistic regression was used to examine whether treatments, pain characteristics, and psychosocial factors predicted these trajectories. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome was pain intensity (0-10), measured at 3 time points with the numerical rating scale. RESULTS: 2 pain trajectories were identified: 1 where pain persisted (28.9%), and 1 where pain decreased over time (71.1%). Whether a treatment had been undertaken was not predictive of the course of pain over time. Women who were older at first pain onset, had pain at another location than the entrance of the vagina, and reported more anxiety were more likely to have a persistent pain trajectory relative to the decreased pain trajectory. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest that the evolution of pain differs among women with vulvodynia depending on pain characteristics and anxiety. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: Strengths of the study include the 7-year longitudinal design to examine the natural history of provoked vestibulodynia and the inclusion of biopsychosocial factors as predictors of pain trajectories. However, women with major medical and psychiatric illnesses or deep dyspareunia were not included, and, thus, these factors could not be examined as predictors. CONCLUSION: Assessing baseline characteristics associated with different pain trajectories during medical visits could have positive implications for the management of vulvodynia. Pâquet M, Vaillancourt-Morel M-P, Jodouin J-F, et al. Pain Trajectories and Predictors: A 7-Year Longitudinal Study of Women With Vulvodynia. J Sex Med 2019;16:1606-1614.

Daily Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Couples Coping With Vulvodynia: Associations With Women's Pain, Women's Sexual Function, and Both Partners' Sexual Distress.

Vulvodynia is a idiopathic vulvovaginal pain condition that interferes with the sexual and mental health of affected couples. Research has underscored that psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression, are associated with its development and maintenance and related sexual impairment. However, the daily role of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the pain and sexuality outcomes of couples coping with vulvodynia is not well understood. Using a dyadic daily experience method, 127 women (mean age = 26.21, SD = 6.24 years) diagnosed with vulvodynia and their partners (mean age = 27.44, SD = 7.29 years) reported on anxiety and depressive symptoms, pain, sexual function, and sexual distress over a period of 8 weeks. Multilevel modeling was used to examine how daily deviations in anxiety and depressive symptoms from a participant's own mean were associated with pain, sexual function, and sexual distress. On days of sexual activity, when women reported higher anxiety and depressive symptoms (compared with their average), they reported greater pain and lower sexual function. On days of sexual activity, when women reported higher depressive symptoms, they reported greater levels of sexual distress, and when partners reported higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, women as well as partners reported greater levels of sexual distress. Results suggest that daily anxiety and depressive symptoms play a role in women's experience of vulvodynia-related pain, women's sexual function, and the couple's sexual distress. Targeting daily anxiety and depressive symptoms could enhance the efficacy of psychological interventions for vulvodynia. PERSPECTIVE: This article examines the daily associations between anxiety and depressive symptoms, women's pain, sexual function, and sexual distress among couples coping with vulvodynia. Findings contribute to refine the biopsychosocial model of pain, showing that daily affective factors are associated with pain and sexual well-being.

Are lexical factors immune to response modality in backward recall? The effects of imageability and word frequency.

In immediate serial recall, it is well established that performance is influenced by lexical factors such as imageability and word frequency. However, when participants are asked to recall the to-be-remembered items in their reverse order, known as backward recall, lexical factors produced contradictory findings. In 4 experiments, we tested the role of response modality in modulating the effects of imageability and word frequency in backward recall. The magnitude of the 2 tested lexical factors was only slightly reduced in backward compared with forward recall when participants responded manually. Critically, when participants recalled words orally, the magnitude of the lexical factors was severely reduced in backward recall. It is concluded that response modality has a strong influence on the memory processes involved in backward recall. (PsycINFO Database Record

Does Self-compassion Benefit Couples Coping With Vulvodynia? Associations With Psychological, Sexual, and Relationship Adjustment.

OBJECTIVES: Vulvodynia, a chronic vulvovaginal pain condition, has deleterious consequences for the psychological, relational, and sexual well-being of affected women and their partners. Protective factors, which can reduce these negative effects, are increasingly studied in the field of chronic pain. One of these, self-compassion, entails qualities such as kindness toward oneself, and has been associated with better adjustment in individuals with chronic pain. Because many women with vulvodynia have a negative image of themselves in the context of sexuality, self-compassion may be especially relevant for this population. This study aimed to investigate self-compassion among couples coping with vulvodynia and its associations with psychological, sexual, and relationship adjustment, as well as pain during sexual intercourse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were gathered from 48 women diagnosed with provoked vestibulodynia-a subtype of vulvodynia-and their partners, using self-report questionnaires pertaining to anxiety, depression, sexual distress, relationship satisfaction, and pain intensity during sexual intercourse. RESULTS: For both women and their partners, higher levels of self-compassion were associated with their own lower anxiety and depression. When partners reported higher levels of self-compassion, they were more satisfied with their relationship, and both partners and women reported lower sexual distress. No significant association was found for pain during intercourse. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that self-compassion is a promising protective factor in the experience of vulvodynia and associated distress. Interventions aimed at increasing self-compassion could enhance the efficacy of psychological treatments for these women and their partners. Further studies are needed to better understand the correlates of self-compassion among this population.

Is it safe to nest near conspicuous neighbours? Spatial patterns in predation risk associated with the density of American Golden-Plover nests.

Predation is one of the main factors explaining nesting mortality in most bird species. Birds can avoid nest predation or reduce predation pressure by breeding at higher latitude, showing anti-predator behaviour, selecting nest sites protected from predators, and nesting in association with protective species. American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis dominica) defend their territory by using various warning and distraction behaviours displayed at varying levels of intensity (hereafter "conspicuous behaviour"), as well as more aggressive behaviours such as aerial attacks, but only in some populations. Such antipredator behaviour has the potential to repel predators and thus benefit the neighbouring nests by decreasing their predation risk. Yet, conspicuous behaviour could also attract predators by signalling the presence of a nest. To test for the existence of a protective effect associated with the conspicuous antipredator behaviour of American Golden-Plovers, we studied the influence of proximity to plover nests on predation risk of artificial nests on Igloolik Island (Nunavut, Canada) in July 2014. We predicted that the predation risk of artificial nests would decrease with proximity to and density of plover nests. We monitored 18 plover nests and set 35 artificial nests at 30, 50, 100, 200, and 500 m from seven of those plover nests. We found that the predation risk of artificial nests increases with the density of active plover nests. We also found a significant negative effect of the distance to the nearest active protector nest on predation risk of artificial nests. Understanding how the composition and structure of shorebird communities generate spatial patterns in predation risks represents a key step to better understand the importance of these species of conservation concern in tundra food webs.

Why Us? Perceived Injustice is Associated With More Sexual and Psychological Distress in Couples Coping With Genito-Pelvic Pain.

INTRODUCTION: Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is the most frequent cause of genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) and is associated with negative psychological and sexual consequences for affected women and their partners. PVD is often misdiagnosed or ignored and many couples may experience a sense of injustice, due to the loss of their ability to have a normal sexual life. Perceiving injustice has been documented to have important consequences in individuals with chronic pain. However, no quantitative research has investigated the experience of injustice in this population. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between perceived injustice and pain, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress, and depression among women with PVD and their partners. METHODS: Women diagnosed with PVD (N = 50) and their partners completed questionnaires of perceived injustice, pain, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress, and depression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale; (2) Female Sexual Distress Scale; (3) Beck Depression Inventory-II; and (4) McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS: After controlling for partners' age, women's higher level of perceived injustice was associated with their own greater sexual distress, and the same pattern was found for partners. Women's higher level of perceived injustice was associated with their own greater depression, and the same pattern was found for partners. Women's higher perceived injustice was not associated with their own lower sexual satisfaction but partners' higher perceived injustice was associated with their own lower sexual satisfaction. Perceived injustice was not associated with women's pain intensity. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that perceiving injustice may have negative consequences for the couple's sexual and psychological outcomes. However, the effects of perceived injustice appear to be intra-individual. Targeting perceived injustice could enhance the efficacy of psychological interventions for women with PVD and their partners.

Are primary and secondary provoked vestibulodynia two different entities? A comparison of pain, psychosocial, and sexual characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is suspected to be the most frequent cause of vulvodynia in premenopausal women. Based on the onset of PVD relative to the start of sexual experience, PVD can be divided into primary (PVD1) and secondary PVD (PVD2). Studies comparing these PVD subgroups are inconclusive as to whether differences exist in sexual and psychosocial functioning. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the pain, sexual and psychosocial functioning of a large clinical and community-based sample of premenopausal women with PVD1 and PVD2. METHODS: A total of 269 women (n = 94 PVD1; n = 175 PVD2) completed measures on sociodemographics, pain, sexual, and psychosocial functioning. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dependent variables were the 0-10 pain numerical rating scale, McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire, Female Sexual Function Index, Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Painful Intercourse Self-Efficacy Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Trait Subscale, Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Questionnaire, Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale--Revised, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale-Revised. RESULTS: At first sexual relationship, women with PVD2 were significantly younger than women with PVD1 (P < 0.01). The average relationship duration was significantly longer in women with PVD2 compared with women with PVD1 (P < 0.01). Although women with PVD1 described a significantly longer duration of pain compared with women with PVD2 (P < 0.01), no significant subtype differences were found in pain intensity during intercourse. When controlling for the sociodemographics mentioned earlier, no significant differences were found in sexual, psychological, and relational functioning between the PVD subgroups. Nevertheless, on average, both groups were in the clinical range of sexual dysfunction and reported impaired psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that there are no significant differences in the sexual and psychosocial profiles of women with PVD1 and PVD2. Results suggest that similar psychosocial and sex therapy interventions should be offered to both subgroups of PVD.

Impact of an oral theophylline loading dose pre-electroconvulsive therapy: a retrospective study in patients with missed or inadequate seizures.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the safety and impact of an oral theophylline loading dose calculated to achieve a 10- to 15-mg/L plasma concentration when administered 1.5 hours before electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using inpatient hospital records between January 2007 and June 2012 at the Dr. Georges L. Dumont University Hospital Centre. Patients receiving a series of ECTs with a calculated theophylline loading dose were selected. Variables collected include ECT parameters for each ECT, medications received, and treatment-related side effects. RESULTS: We identified 35 patients and analyzed 14 who had no treatment modifications except for the addition of theophylline. The mean predicted theophylline plasma concentration was 12.99 (SD, 1.09) mg/L with dosages ranging from 260 to 600 mg. Eight patients (89%) with abortive seizures and 4 (80%) with missed seizures achieved a seizure duration of greater than 15 seconds with theophylline. Seizure duration increased by 165.6% (+21.3 seconds; P = 0.048) with theophylline, and all patients (N = 5) with a maximum sustained coherence of less than 92% achieved an increase after theophylline; however, the overall increase (+8.8%, P = 0.087) was not significant. No theophylline-related adverse events were documented in 128 ECTs with theophylline, and no seizure exceeded 120 seconds. CONCLUSIONS: A calculated theophylline loading dose before ECT is well tolerated and effective in prolonging seizure duration and aiding with seizure generation in patients who do not seize readily. Its positive impact in patients with lower maximum sustained coherence, in addition to the potential existence of a dose-response relationship, should be further investigated.