NCJ Number
216365
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 61-78
Date Published
2006
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Sixty-three women with chronic pelvic pain completed measures of sexual function, childhood sexual abuse, and pain, in order to determine relationships among these variables.
Abstract
The authors suggest that the greater intimacy of marriage/cohabitation may foster the emergence of emotional conflicts linked to sexuality. There was a high prevalence of sexual abuse (over 60 percent) in this sample of women with chronic pelvic pain. Higher scores on the severity of childhood and adolescent/adulthood sexual abuse were associated with more severe pelvic pain and more debilitating effects from the pain. Higher scores on sexual abuse experiences were also related to lower rates of sexual activity and less satisfaction with orgasm and feelings of closeness with sexual partners. Women who were married and/or living with their partners had more problems with sexual functioning. Future studies should assess the relationship between sexual abuse and sexual functioning by using indexes of the severity of abuse in various chronic pain populations. The women were administered the Derogatis Interview for Sexual Function--Self-Report in order to assess five domains of sexual functioning. The West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory measured the impact of pain on the sufferer's life; and the Sexual/Physical Abuse History Questionnaire assessed physical and sexual abuse in both childhood and adolescence/adulthood. Participants also responded to questions on age, marital status, ethnicity, highest year of formal education, and medications. 3 tables and 33 references