Daily Associations Among Male Partner Responses, Pain During Intercourse, and Anxiety in Women With Vulvodynia and Their Partners

Abstract

Vulvodynia is a prevalent vulvovaginal pain condition that disrupts the sexual and psychological health of affected women and their partners. Cross-sectional and daily experience studies suggest that partner responses to this pain influence the psychological and sexual sequelae of affected couples. However, their daily impact on pain and anxiety remain unknown. Using a daily diary method, 69 women (M age = 28.12, SD = 6.68) diagnosed with vulvodynia and their cohabiting partners (M age = 29.67, SD = 8.10) reported on male partner responses to women's pain and anxiety symptoms on sexual intercourse days (M = 6.54, SD = 4.99) over 8 weeks. Women also reported their pain during intercourse. Results indicated that women reported greater pain on days when they perceived higher solicitous and negative male partner responses, and on days when their male partner reported greater solicitous and lower facilitative responses. Women indicated higher anxiety symptoms on days when they perceived more negative male partner responses; men's anxiety symptoms were greater on days when they reported higher negative male partner responses. Targeting partner responses may enhance the quality and efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing pain in women with vulvodynia and couples' psychological distress.

Perspective: This article examines the daily associations among male partner responses, women's pain during intercourse, and anxiety in couples coping with vulvodynia. Targeting male partner responses may enhance the quality of interventions aimed at reducing women's pain and the psychological distress of couples coping with vulvodynia.

Keywords: Vulvodynia; anxiety; chronic pain; couples; daily diaries; partner responses; provoked vestibulodynia.