Communication patterns in women with provoked vestibulodynia and their partners

ABSTRACT

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a recurrent vulvovaginal pain condition that has potentially negative consequences for women and their partners’ sexual functioning and overall quality of life. Research has found that greater observed empathic responses during conversations about the impact of vulvodynia are associated with greater relational and sexual satisfaction. However, observed self-disclosure was unrelated to relational or sexual satisfaction, perhaps due to the psychometric properties of the coding system used. The current study investigated observed empathic responses and self-disclosures in couples using a validated coding system, the Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System (RMICS). Eight women diagnosed with PVD and their male partners completed measures of relational and sexual satisfaction and spent seven minutes discussing an issue that the woman rated as moderately distressing. Coded interactions were analysed using pooled-regression actor-partner interdependence modelling (APIM). Results indicated that higher observed own and partner empathic responses were associated with greater relationship satisfaction, and greater observed own empathic responses were associated with greater sexual satisfaction. Greater observed own self-disclosures were negatively associated with sexual satisfaction. The findings suggest that empathy may help to buffer the effects of PVD on relationship satisfaction, whereas some types of self-disclosure may exacerbate the sexual impact of PVD.

KEYWORDS:

• Provoked vestibulodynia
• communication
• empathy
• sexual satisfaction
• relationship satisfaction
• couples

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [394719].

Notes on contributors

S. Gauvin

S. Gauvin Gauvin is a Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate under the supervision of Dr. Caroline Pukall in the Sexual Health Research Laboratory (SexLab) at Queen’s University. Stéphanie’s research focuses on how individuals in relationships negotiate and navigate sexual challenges, with a focus on how sexual script flexibility is related to sexual well-being.

K.B. Smith

K.B. Smith has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Queen’s University and completed fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and the University of British Columbia.

S. Chamberlain

S. Chamberlain, M.D., M.Ed., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Queen’s University.

C. Pukall

C. Pukall received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from McGill University. She is currently Full Professor in the Department of Psychology, Director of the Sexual Health Research Laboratory (SexLab), and the Director of the Sex Therapy Service at the Psychology Clinic at Queen’s University.