To Say or not to Say: Dyadic Ambivalence over Emotional Expression and its Associations with Sexual Function, Satisfaction, Depression, Dyadic Adjustment, and Pain in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and their Partners
Introduction. Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a highly prevalent and taxing female genital pain condition. Despite the intimate nature of this pain and the fact that affective factors such as anxiety have been shown to modulate its manifestations, no study has yet explored the emotional regulation of couples in which the woman suffers from PVD.  Aim. Ambivalence over Emotional Expression (AEE) is an emotional regulation variable that quantifies the extent to which a person is comfortable with the way s/he expresses emotions. We examined whether the dyadic AEE of couples in which the woman suffers from PVD was differentially associated with their psychological, sexual and relational functioning. Methods. Couples (N = 254) in which the woman suffered from PVD completed the Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Questionnaire. A typology of couples was created: ‘HH’ couples with both partners high on AEE, ‘LL’ couples with both partners low on AEE, and intermediate couples. Dependent measures for both members of the couple were the (i) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale, the (ii) Female Sexual Function Index/Global Score of Sexual History Form, the (iii) Beck Depression Inventory II, and the (iv) Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Women also completed the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Results. ‘LL’ couples had the highest scores on sexual satisfaction (p = .04) and function (p = .01), the least depressive symptomatology (p < .01), and the best dyadic adjustment (p = .02).  No difference in pain intensity was found between couples. Conclusions. Findings suggest that, for couples in which the woman suffers from PVD, an emotional regulation that is low in ambivalence in both partners is associated with better psychological, sexual and relational outcomes.
Provoked vestibulodynia Chronic pain Ambivalence over emotional expression Sexuality Sexual function Sexual satisfaction Couples Dyadic Dyadic adjustment Clinical psychology