Spil, Esther (2025) Defining and Experiencing Sex - The Impact of an Intervention on the Definition of Sex, Sexual Distress, Sexual Satisfaction, and Vulvar Pain in Women. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Research shows that a relatively high percentage of women experience pain during penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) and often do not communicate this with their partners. One factor associated with higher levels of sexual distress and vulvar pain is a restrictive definition of sex, where sex is primarily seen as penetration. This study aimed to develop a brief online intervention to broaden the definition of sex and examined its effects on the definition of sex, sexual distress, sexual satisfaction, and vulvar pain. Fifty-seven women aged 18 to 32 participated in a pretest-posttest design. The results showed that a large proportion of participants reported experiencing vulvar pain during or when attempting PVI, and many engaged in sexual intercourse despite this pain. Following the intervention, the definition of sex was slightly broader and vulvar pain slightly lower, though these changes were not statistically significant (paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed rank test, respectively). In contrast, sexual distress significantly decreased, while sexual satisfaction approached statistical significance (paired t-tests). These findings suggest that even a short, easily accessible intervention may have a positive effect on sexual health outcomes. However, as this study lacked a control group, alternative explanations cannot be ruled out. Further research is needed, but this study provides a first step toward easily accessible interventions targeting sexual wellbeing. Keywords: Vulvar pain, female sexual health, definition of sex, sexual distress, sexual satisfaction, psychosocial interventions
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Otten, S. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Applied Social Psychology (ASP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2025 10:14 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2025 10:14 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5857 |
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