Vries, Christa de (2024) Aversive conditioning: The Impact of Elicited Pain Expectancies on Women’s Sexual Arousal in Response to Pornographic Stimuli. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration disorder (GPPPD) significantly affects women’s health by causing pain and discomfort during sexual activities. Cognitive-behavioral models suggest that pain anticipation and fear perpetuate GPPPD and other sexual dysfunctions by creating a vicious circle. This study investigates the impact of an elicited pain expectation on sexual arousal using pornographic stimuli in a sample of sexual asymptomatic women. Participants (N=36) were exposed to an aversive conditioning paradigm. One pornographic film clip (CS+) was paired with the expectation of pain (US), whereas the other clip (CS-) was not. In the baseline stage, which included 4 trials of each CS-type, initial emotional responses were measured using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The test trial stage consisted of 10 trials of each CS-type, where sexual arousal and pain expectancy were measured after each trial using a VAS. Deception was used; no actual stimulation occurred. During the baseline stage of the experiment, no significant differences in sexual arousal or disgust between the two CS-types were found. After expectancy manipulation, participants showed significantly higher pain expectancy for the CS+ compared to CS- over all the trials, confirming the conditioning procedure’s effectiveness. Sexual arousal did not significantly differ between the CS+ and CS-, indicating that pain expectancy did not significantly reduce sexual arousal. The study concludes that while pain conditioning effectively created differential pain expectancies, it did not significantly impact sexual arousal. This research contributes to understanding the association between pain expectations and sexual arousal. Further research is needed to explore these dynamics in more detail.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Borg, C. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Psychology (CP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Sep 2024 14:29 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Sep 2024 14:29 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4379 |
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