Roles of genital self-image, distraction, and anxiety in women’s sexual pleasure: a preregistered study

WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Kasey Erinne Morey (Creator)
Institution
Western Carolina University (WCU )
Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
Advisor
David de Jong

Abstract: Women with negative genital self-image are more likely to experience sexual dysfunction (Herbenick & Reece, 2010), but the processes underlying this association are unknown. We theorized that this association is mediated by distraction from the arousing sexual cues that foster pleasure and orgasm (Janssen et al., 2000). In a sample of 1,619 women who had sex in the previous four weeks, women with negative genital self-image were more likely to be distracted by self-critical concerns (i.e., appearance- and performance-based distraction and embarrassment) during sex, and in turn, experienced less sexual pleasure and worse sexual function. Additionally, this indirect effect via appearance-based distraction was strongest among women with trait-level anxiousness and social anxiety. We found a similar pattern of results when investigating the indirect effect of genital self-image on sexual function. Implications for understanding sexual function and therapeutic approaches are discussed.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2021
Keywords
Anxiousness, Genital self-image, Sexual function, Sexual pleasure, Social Anxiety
Subjects
Social phobia
Anxiety
Generative organs -- Women -- Self-perception
Sexual intercourse
Sexual excitement

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