Central sensitization symptoms in vulvodynia: exploring the role of temperament, personality traits, childhood adverse events, defense mechanisms, and mental pain on quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Vulvodynia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by persistent vulvar pain, occurring without clinically identifiable disorders. Central sensitization (CS) is suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of vulvodynia, as for other nociplastic pain conditions. AIM: This study delves into the complex interplay between psychosocial factors and CS burden in women with vulvodynia, aiming to identify potential predictors (temperament, personality traits, childhood adverse events, defense mechanisms, and mental pain) and understand their impact on quality of life (QoL). METHODS: A cohort-based cross-sectional web survey of 357 women with vulvodynia. OUTCOMES: Outcomes included 8 self-report measures to assess the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) and psychological variables, including sensory processing sensitivity, traumatic experiences, personality traits, defense mechanisms, and mental pain. RESULTS: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted in study 1, revealing that the following predicted higher CSI scores in women with vulvodynia: higher emotional overexcitability, decreased low sensory threshold, increased bodily threat experiences, elevated psychoticism, greater use of immature and neurotic defense mechanisms, and heightened mental pain. The final regression model identified the following as the strongest predictors of CS: low sensory threshold (ß = 0.316), bodily threat experiences (ß = 0.145), neurotic defenses (ß = 0.210), and mental pain (ß = 0.269). In study 2, the model presented interactions among these psychological factors in predicting CSI values explaining 48.9% of the variance in CS, 30.3% in psychological QoL, and 57.1% in physical QoL. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: This model opens discussion for tailored psychological interventions aimed to improve overall QoL in women with vulvodynia. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Strengths of the study include innovative insights into the interplay between psychological variables and the construct of CS and quality of life. As a limitation, the research was conducted as a cross-sectional study with self-reported measures. CONCLUSION: The study calls for comprehensive assessments that consider physical and mental aspects, paving the way for holistic health care approaches in the management of vulvodynia.

Role of sexuality in women with chronic pain: Results from an Italian cross-sectional study on chronic headache, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia.

Background/objectives: To compare sexual functioning, genital pain, and satisfaction among women diagnosed with various Chronic pain (CP) conditions. Additionally, it seeks to explore the role of sexual factors in predicting levels of central sensitization (indicative of CP-related mental and physical distress), physical, and mental quality of life (QoL) for each condition individually. Methods: From April 2023 to January 2024, 1006 women categorized into five groups (Chronic Headache - CH; Fibromyalgia - FM, Vulvodynia - VU, Comorbidity group - CO, and Healthy Controls - HC) completed an online protocol. Results: All groups reported sexual impairment: VU group exhibited the highest genital pain prevalence (97.93 %), followed by CO (74.29 %) and FM (55.91 %). ANCOVAs indicated lower sexual functioning scores for FM, VU, and CO compared to HC and CH. VU and CO reported lower satisfaction scores than other groups. Genital pain emerged as the primary predictor of central sensitization across all groups except controls. Regarding mental QoL, sexual satisfaction was significant for CH and CO, while genital pain and sexual satisfaction were significant for VU. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of integrating genito-pelvic pain assessment and addressing related sexual difficulties in CP diagnostics and care to enhance overall well-being and QoL.

Motivations, Behaviors and Expectancies of Sexting: The Role of Defensive Strategies and Social Media Addiction in a Sample of Adolescents.

Adolescents and young adults engage in sexting behaviors. Research has mainly emphasized the relationship between motivations and sexting behaviors, with little attention paid to sexting expectations and the potential role of coping strategies. This study aims to explore the measure of emotional-behavioral functioning with the Youth/Adult Self Report (based on the subject's age), the use of defensive strategies measured with the Response Evaluation Measure (REM-71), social media addiction with the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and all dimensions of sexting: motivations, behavior and expectations measured with the Sexting Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ), Sexting Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) and Sexpectancies Questionnaire (SQ), respectively. N = 209 adolescents and young adults were recruited from high schools and universities in Rome to complete the self-report questionnaires. Results show that males tend to have higher expectations of sexting than females. We also found that expectations play a role in determining sexting behaviors and motivations. Our hypotheses on social media addiction and sexting were confirmed, while the relationship between the defensive strategies and sexting was not significant as expected. Further studies on this topic are desirable in the future.

Observational Tools Using Video Recordings of Parent-Child Feeding Interactions: A Narrative Review.

Current research has confirmed that the quality of the caregiver-child relationship influences the child's emotional and behavioral development. Play and feeding contexts, for example, are the best contexts to observe mother-child or father-child interaction. The observation of feeding interaction establishes involvement on the part of both parties and identifies relationship characteristics. The purpose of this study is to select and describe the most frequently used observational methods during feeding interactions in the first three years of a child's life. Instruments that employ video recordings of mealtimes will be detailed to highlight the relevance that specific tools have nowadays. Finally, the SVIA (Scala di Valutazione delle Interazioni Alimentari), a technique for analyzing food interactions by observation that has also been utilized remotely, will be offered. This is intended to provide practitioners and researchers with an overview of tools while also taking into consideration the present scenario in which digital tools are increasingly being employed in health and clinical settings. Furthermore, the purpose of this paper is to review the various observational methods of the parent-child relationship to assist future practitioners and researchers in the field in making an accurate assessment of caregiver-child interaction and selecting a valid tool for the early recognition of problematic relationships and identifying the most appropriate treatment modalities.

Body Image Concerns: The Impact of Digital Technologies and Psychopathological Risks in a Normative Sample of Adolescents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous research on associations between Body Image Concerns (BIC) and technological addictions, such as Internet addiction (IA) and Social Media Addiction (SMA), has focused on female samples, neglecting the impact they may have on males and the risk factor associated with age. The present study analyzed the correlations between BIC, IA, and SMA and between internalizing and externalizing problems. METHODS: A sample of 204 participants (118 females; mean age = 15.88 years) were divided into three age groups (early, middle, and late adolescence) and completed a battery of scales including (i) Body Image Concern Inventory, (ii) Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale, (iii) Internet Addiction Test, and (iv) Youth Self Report. RESULTS: Significant associations between BIC and technology addictions (SMA and IA) appeared both in the total sample and in the subgroups related to gender and age; bivariate correlations between internalizing and externalizing problems and variables were significant for the total sample but only in some of the gender- and age-related subgroups. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This research has shown how associations between BIC and behavioral technology addictions, especially associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, may vary by the gender affiliation and developmental stage of the individual.