Internet-Based Guided Self-Help for Vaginal Penetration Difficulties: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Anna Carlotta Zarski
  • Matthias Berking
  • Christina Fackiner
  • Christian Rosenau
  • David Daniel Ebert

Introduction Difficulties with vaginal penetration can severely affect a woman's desire to have sexual intercourse, her sexual and general well-being, or her partnership. However, treatment opportunities for vaginismus are scarce. Aim To evaluate the efficacy of an internet-based guided self-help intervention for vaginismus in a randomized controlled pilot trial. Methods Seventy-seven women with vaginismus (primary inclusion criterion = no intercourse ≥ 6 months) were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) and a waitlist control group (WCG). The intervention consisted of 10 sessions involving psychoeducation, relaxation exercises, sensate focus, and gradual exposure with dilators. Participants received written feedback on completed sessions from an eCoach. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome was successful sexual intercourse. Secondary outcomes were non-intercourse penetration, fear of coitus, sexual functioning, and dyadic coping. Self-reported assessments were scheduled at baseline, 10 weeks, and 6 months. Results More participants (10 of 40, 34.48%) in the IG had intercourse compared with those in the WCG (6 of 37, 20.69%) at least once at 10 weeks or 6 months (odds ratio = 2.02). The difference was not significant (χ21 = 1.38, P = .38), but in the IG, there was a significant increase in intercourse penetration from baseline to 6 months (d = 0.65). No such increase was found in the WCG (d = 0.21). There were significant between-group effects concerning non-intercourse penetration (self-insertion of a finger or dilator or insertion by the partner) in favor of the IG. Fear of coitus and dyadic coping significantly decreased in the IG. Overall satisfaction with the training was high. Conclusion This randomized controlled trial showed promising effects of an internet-based intervention by increasing participants' ability to have intercourse and non-intercourse penetration while experiencing high treatment satisfaction. The WCG also showed improvement, although participants had vaginismus for an average duration of 6 years. Internet-based interventions could be a treatment modality to complement other methods in stepped care for vaginal penetration difficulties.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Sexual Medicine
Volume14
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)238-254
Number of pages17
ISSN1743-6095
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.02.2017

    Research areas

  • Female Sexual Functioning, Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder, Internet Intervention, Randomized Controlled Trial, Sexual Dysfunction Disorder, Vaginismus
  • Psychology
  • Health sciences

Recently viewed

Researchers

  1. Rimma Kanevski

Publications

  1. How to Curate Diversity and Otherness in Global Performance Art
  2. Vision Statement for the Planet in 2050
  3. Integrated driver rostering problem in public bus transit
  4. Bolt load retention and creep response of AS41 alloyed with 0.15% Ca
  5. Silent reading fluency and comprehension in bilingual children
  6. Antidumping
  7. Elevated temperature and varied load response of AS41 at bolted joint
  8. The practical wisdom of Peter Drucker
  9. Spaces with a temper
  10. Credit Constraints and Exports
  11. Complexity as experience
  12. Living on the slopes: entrepreneurial preparedness in a context under continuous threat
  13. What is Social Learning?
  14. Introduction
  15. Thermodynamic formulation of models for multiscale crystal plasticity at large deformation
  16. Discussion report part 3
  17. From farm to factory. Vertical trading and processing structures between industrial and developing countries in the international tobacco-economy
  18. Zwischen "Partisanenkampf" und "Kommissar Computer"
  19. Automated Delivery
  20. Towards a critical understanding of work in ecological economics
  21. Network measures of mixing
  22. Extrusion of profiles with variable wall thickness
  23. Identity affirmation and social movement support
  24. Contributing to sustainable development pathways in the South Pacific through transdisciplinary research
  25. Comity
  26. User experience and behavior concerning digital scaffolding during EFL speaking practice
  27. 再生可能エネルギー促進に向けたドイツの法的ステップ
  28. Accelerating the industrial transition with safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD)
  29. Friede den Völkern
  30. Einleitung
  31. Hundert Jahre „transzendentale Obdachlosigkeit“
  32. Gamification and Governmentality
  33. Soziale Identität
  34. Competitive interactions shape plant responses to nitrogen fertilization and drought