Psychological Inflexibility as a Predictor of Sexual Functioning Among Women with Vulvovaginal Pain: A Prospective Investigation

OBJECTIVE: Persistent vulvovaginal pain affects many women and often has adverse effects on sexual functioning. Psychological inflexibility related to pain is associated with distress and functional disability across different types of chronic pain conditions, but little is known about the role of psychological inflexibility in vulvovaginal pain. The present study examines psychological inflexibility related to pain as a predictor of sexual functioning over time among women with vulvovaginal pain. METHODS: Questionnaires including measures of psychological inflexibility, pain severity, and sexual functioning were administered to female university students at two points in time. One hundred thirty women with vulvovaginal pain responded to the questionnaire at baseline and at follow-up after 10 months. A multiple regression model was used to explore psychological inflexibility and pain severity as predictors of sexual functioning at follow-up. RESULTS: Higher levels of psychological inflexibility and more severe pain at baseline were associated with poorer sexual functioning 10 months later. In analysis adjusting for baseline levels of sexual functioning, psychological inflexibility was the only significant predictor of sexual functioning at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide preliminary evidence that psychological inflexibility is associated with sexual adjustment over time among women with vulvovaginal pain and point to the relevance of further examinations of the psychological inflexibility model in the context of vulvovaginal pain.