When sexual distress shares the bed: the role of sexual self-esteem in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and sexual distress in sex therapy patients.
J Sex Med
; 2024 Aug 22.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39167770
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Sexual distress (eg, feeling distressed, unhappy, frustrated, stressed, dissatisfied, or bothered about their sexuality) is a central concern reported by patients seeking sex therapy, and might be related to sexual self-esteem and mindfulness disposition, yet research is needed to examine the links among those variables within the specific population of patients seeking therapy.AIM:
This study aimed to examine the indirect role of sexual self-esteem in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and sexual distress.METHODS:
The study was conducted among 696 patients undergoing sexual therapy (mean age 34.19 ± 11.21 years, age range 18-78 years). Participants identified as women (57.3%), men (38.5%), or nonbinary (4.2%). They completed self-report questionnaires assessing dispositional mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), sexual self-esteem (Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire), and sexual distress (Sexual Distress Scale-Revised), during their first few sessions (ie, first to third sessions [the assessment phase]).OUTCOMES:
Sexual distress was the main outcome, as measured with the Sexual Distress Scale-Revised.RESULTS:
Results indicated that 54% (n = 376) of patients reported elevated sexual distress based on the questionnaire threshold score. Path analyses indicated an indirect effect in which higher dispositional mindfulness was associated with higher levels of sexual self-esteem, which in turn was associated with lower sexual distress. Results also highlighted that specific facets of mindfulness were related to higher sexual self-esteem (ie, describing, and nonreacting) and lower sexual distress (ie, nonjudgment and acting with awareness). The integrative model explained 23% of the variance of sexual distress scores. CLINICAL IMPLICATION Findings suggest that addressing specifically sexual self-esteem and mindfulness may represent relevant clinical avenues to reduce sexual distress among sex therapy patients. STRENGTHS ANDLIMITATIONS:
Strengths of this study include the novel examination of the role of sexual self-esteem in the link between mindfulness disposition and sexual distress in a large clinical sample of patients seeking sex therapy. Limitations includes reliance on patient self-report and a cross-sectional design that limit conclusion regarding causality.CONCLUSION:
This study makes a valuable contribution to the existing body of research highlighting the pivotal roles of sexual self-esteem in the link between dispositional mindfulness and reduced sexual distress among adults undergoing sex therapy, allowing us to identify potential targets of intervention.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
J Sex Med
Journal subject:
GINECOLOGIA
/
MEDICINA REPRODUTIVA
/
UROLOGIA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Canadá