Exploring pain perception and depression in vulvodynia: the role of catastrophizing and pain acceptance.

IF 3.3 3区 医学 Q1 UROLOGY & NEPHROLOGY
Spinoni Marta, Cucurachi Giorgia, Porpora Maria Grazia, Grano Caterina
{"title":"Exploring pain perception and depression in vulvodynia: the role of catastrophizing and pain acceptance.","authors":"Spinoni Marta, Cucurachi Giorgia, Porpora Maria Grazia, Grano Caterina","doi":"10.1093/jsxmed/qdaf046","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In the context of vulvodynia, a gynecological disorder characterized by chronic vulvar pain affecting an estimated 10% of women, with significant impacts on sexual health, mental well-being, and productivity, the Common-Sense Model of Illness Self-Regulation, a well-established framework for understanding the impact of illness perceptions and coping strategies on mental health, has not yet been empirically tested.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>We aimed to explore whether illness perceptions and pain-specific coping strategies-namely, pain catastrophizing and chronic pain acceptance-influence the relationship between vulvar pain severity and depression in women with vulvodynia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 119 women with reporting diagnosis of vulvodynia.</p><p><strong>Outcomes: </strong>Through an online questionnaire, we assessed demographic and clinical characteristics, vulvar pain severity, illness beliefs, pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance, and depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The path analysis showed that vulvar pain positively influences directly illness perceptions (β = .56, P < .001) and depressive symptoms (β = .24, P < .001). Negative perceptions of the illness were significantly associated with increased pain catastrophizing (β = .66, P < .001), and decreased pain acceptance (β = -.59, P < .001), resulting in heightened depressive symptoms (β = .33, P < .001, β = -.27, P < .001, respectively).</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>Interventions that challenge negative illness perceptions and promote more positive views could reduce maladaptive coping strategies, enhance pain acceptance, and ultimately diminish psychological distress.</p><p><strong>Strengths and limitations: </strong>This study's strengths lie in its foundation on a theoretical, well-established model and the use of validated measures. However, the cross-sectional design precludes concluding causality between predictor and outcome variables, and the clinical information was self-reported and could not be verified with medical records.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings underscore the importance of targeting illness perceptions and coping strategies in shaping psychological outcomes for women with vulvodynia.</p>","PeriodicalId":51100,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sexual Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Sexual Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdaf046","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"UROLOGY & NEPHROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: In the context of vulvodynia, a gynecological disorder characterized by chronic vulvar pain affecting an estimated 10% of women, with significant impacts on sexual health, mental well-being, and productivity, the Common-Sense Model of Illness Self-Regulation, a well-established framework for understanding the impact of illness perceptions and coping strategies on mental health, has not yet been empirically tested.

Aim: We aimed to explore whether illness perceptions and pain-specific coping strategies-namely, pain catastrophizing and chronic pain acceptance-influence the relationship between vulvar pain severity and depression in women with vulvodynia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 119 women with reporting diagnosis of vulvodynia.

Outcomes: Through an online questionnaire, we assessed demographic and clinical characteristics, vulvar pain severity, illness beliefs, pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance, and depressive symptoms.

Results: The path analysis showed that vulvar pain positively influences directly illness perceptions (β = .56, P < .001) and depressive symptoms (β = .24, P < .001). Negative perceptions of the illness were significantly associated with increased pain catastrophizing (β = .66, P < .001), and decreased pain acceptance (β = -.59, P < .001), resulting in heightened depressive symptoms (β = .33, P < .001, β = -.27, P < .001, respectively).

Clinical implications: Interventions that challenge negative illness perceptions and promote more positive views could reduce maladaptive coping strategies, enhance pain acceptance, and ultimately diminish psychological distress.

Strengths and limitations: This study's strengths lie in its foundation on a theoretical, well-established model and the use of validated measures. However, the cross-sectional design precludes concluding causality between predictor and outcome variables, and the clinical information was self-reported and could not be verified with medical records.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of targeting illness perceptions and coping strategies in shaping psychological outcomes for women with vulvodynia.

背景:外阴炎是一种以慢性外阴疼痛为特征的妇科疾病,约有 10% 的女性患有外阴炎,这种疾病对性健康、心理健康和工作效率都有很大影响。"疾病自我调节常识模型 "是了解疾病认知和应对策略对心理健康影响的一个成熟框架,但该模型尚未经过实证检验。目的:我们旨在探讨疾病认知和疼痛特定应对策略(即疼痛灾难化和慢性疼痛接受)是否会影响外阴炎女性患者的外阴疼痛严重程度与抑郁之间的关系:我们对 119 名报告诊断为外阴炎的女性进行了横断面研究:结果:通过在线问卷,我们评估了人口统计学和临床特征、外阴疼痛严重程度、疾病信念、疼痛灾难化、疼痛接受度和抑郁症状:路径分析显示,外阴疼痛直接对疾病认知产生积极影响(β = .56,P 临床意义:挑战负面疾病认知并促进更积极观点的干预措施可以减少适应不良的应对策略,提高对疼痛的接受度,并最终减轻心理困扰:本研究的优势在于它建立在一个理论成熟的模型基础之上,并使用了经过验证的测量方法。然而,横断面设计排除了预测变量和结果变量之间的因果关系,而且临床信息是自我报告的,无法通过医疗记录进行核实:研究结果强调了针对疾病认知和应对策略对外阴炎女性患者心理结果形成的重要性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Journal of Sexual Medicine
Journal of Sexual Medicine 医学-泌尿学与肾脏学
CiteScore
6.20
自引率
5.70%
发文量
826
审稿时长
2-4 weeks
期刊介绍: The Journal of Sexual Medicine publishes multidisciplinary basic science and clinical research to define and understand the scientific basis of male, female, and couples sexual function and dysfunction. As an official journal of the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the International Society for the Study of Women''s Sexual Health, it provides healthcare professionals in sexual medicine with essential educational content and promotes the exchange of scientific information generated from experimental and clinical research. The Journal of Sexual Medicine includes basic science and clinical research studies in the psychologic and biologic aspects of male, female, and couples sexual function and dysfunction, and highlights new observations and research, results with innovative treatments and all other topics relevant to clinical sexual medicine. The objective of The Journal of Sexual Medicine is to serve as an interdisciplinary forum to integrate the exchange among disciplines concerned with the whole field of human sexuality. The journal accomplishes this objective by publishing original articles, as well as other scientific and educational documents that support the mission of the International Society for Sexual Medicine.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信