Impact of mindfulness versus supportive sex education on stress in women with sexual interest/arousal disorder.
Lori A Brotto, Rosemary Basson, Andrea Grabovac, Meredith L Chivers, Bozena Zdaniuk, Tamara S Bodnar, Joanne Weinberg
Journal of behavioral medicine August 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-024-00491-5 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) group treatment and a sex education comparison group treatment both reduced perceived stress in 148 women diagnosed with sexual interest/arousal disorder, with MBCT producing significantly greater reductions. The cortisol slope, indicating stress system regulation, steepened from pre-treatment to six-month follow-up in both groups, with no difference between them. Exploratory analyses showed that reduced perceived stress predicted increased sexual desire and decreased sex-related distress only after MBCT. The findings suggest that group mindfulness for women with low desire improves both self-reported and physiological stress, and that improvements in self-reported stress partly account for improvements in sexual desire and distress.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 148 |
| Population | Women with a diagnosis of sexual interest/arousal disorder (SIAD) |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) group treatment Sex education comparison group treatment (STEP) |
| Duration | 6-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cortisol Low desire Sex education Sexual interest/arousal disorder |
| Key finding | Perceived stress decreased significantly more after MBCT than after sex education, and reductions in perceived stress predicted increases in sexual desire and decreases in sex-related distress only after MBCT. |
Abstract
Low desire in women is the most common sexual difficulty, and stress has been identified as a significant predictor of symptoms. We evaluated a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) group treatment versus a sex education comparison group treatment (STEP) on self-reported stress and on the physiological stress response measured via morning-to-evening cortisol slope in 148 women with a diagnosis of sexual interest/arousal disorder (SIAD). Perceived stress decreased following treatment in both groups, and significantly more after MBCT. The cortisol slope was steeper (indicative of better stress system regulation) from pre-treatment to 6-month follow-up, with no differences between the groups. As an exploratory analysis, we found that the reduction in perceived stress predicted increases in sexual desire and decreases in sex-related distress for participants after MBCT only. These findings suggest that group mindfulness targeting women with low sexual desire leads to improvements in self-reported and physiological stress, with improvements in self-reported stress partially accounting for improvements in sexual desire and distress.