Attribution patterns related to positive and negative sexual experiences in married Pakistani women with differing levels of orgasmic difficulty

ABSTRACT

Studies using Western samples have found that people with sexual problems attribute negative sexual experiences more to themselves whereas those without sexual problems attribute negative sexual experiences more to external factors such as the particular situation or even the partner. While attribution patterns vary across sex, age, dysfunction status, and generations, to date no studies have investigated how they might vary across cultures. We compared attribution patterns of (presumed) heterosexual/cisgender Pakistani women with varying levels of orgasmic difficulty (OD) on hypothetical scenarios presenting either positive or negative partnered sexual outcomes, with attributions to four possible targets: self, husband, situation, and relationship. Similar to previous research using Western samples, Pakistani women with greater OD were more likely than non-OD counterparts to blame themselves and their partners for negative sexual experiences. In contrast with prior research, for Pakistani women, attributions were distributed widely across all targets, including relationship factors (e.g., compatibility and communication). Specifically, Pakistani women tied their explanations for both positive and negative sexual outcomes more strongly to assessment of their relationship with their husband. The way in which women with sexual difficulties in non-Western cultures interpret their sexual experiences suggests the need for remediation strategies sensitive to socio-sexual scripts of the culture.

KEYWORDS:

• Arousal difficulty
• attribution
• non-Western
• orgasmic difficulty
• Pakistani
• women

Declaration of compliance with ethical standards

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. IRB approval was obtained from the authors’ institutions. Informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. Pakistan ranks 133/187 on the WHO Gender Inequality Index, indicating a high level of gender inequality.

2. English is one of two official languages of Pakistan, and most coursework in secondary and higher education is conducted in English. However, while those living in urban areas are typically fluent in English, many living in rural areas speak only Urdu or their regional/provincial language.