Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul:161:27-32.
doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2022.02.002. Epub 2022 Feb 15.

Association of mindfulness with female sexual dysfunction

Richa Sood  1 , Carol L Kuhle  2 , Jacqueline M Thielen  3 , Ekta Kapoor  4 , Jennifer A Vencill  5 , Kristin C Mara  6 , Stephanie S Faubion  7
Affiliations

Association of mindfulness with female sexual dysfunction

Richa Sood et al. Maturitas. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects women of all ages. It is often a multifactorial problem with a strong psychosocial component. Mindfulness may help alleviate FSD with nonjudgmental, present-moment awareness and decreased emotional reactivity. The goal of this study was to assess the association between dispositional or trait mindfulness and FSD.

Study design: In this cross-sectional study at a tertiary care women's health clinic, 1718 cisgender women (mean age, 51.9 years) completed the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R).

Main outcome measures: Regression analysis was used to test the associations of mindfulness, sexual function, and sexual distress with univariate and multivariable analyses, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: Within the sample, 57% of women met FSD criteria (FSFI scores ≤26.55 and FSDS-R ≥ 11). On univariate analysis, higher MAAS scores, signifying greater mindfulness, were associated with higher (better) sexual function scores, lower sexual distress scores, and lower odds of FSD. This association persisted on multivariable analysis after adjusting for potential confounders.

Conclusions: Higher trait mindfulness was associated with better sexual function, lower sexual distress, and lower likelihood of FSD. Further studies are needed to assess the role of mindfulness in mitigating FSD.

Keywords: Dispositional mindfulness; Female sexual dysfunction; Mindfulness; Sexual distress; Trait mindfulness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Richa Sood's husband is the owner/CEO of Global Center for Resiliency and Well-being and The GRIT Institute. Ekta Kapoor has received consultant fees for Astellas Pharmaceuticals, personal fees from CogniMed, personal fees from Med Learning Group, consultant fees and grant support from Mithra Pharmaceuticals, personal fees from PriMed, and consultant fees from Womaness, all of which are outside the scope of the submitted work. All other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Association on Univariate Analysis Between MAAS and Sexual Problems, Sexual Distress, and FSD. A, MAAS and sexual problems (FSFI ≤26.55) (AUC=0.60); B, MAAS and sexual distress (FSDS-R ≥ 11) (AUC=0.64); C, MAAS and FSD (AUC=0.62). AUC, area under the curve; FSD indicates female sexual dysfunction; FSDS-R, Female Sexual Distress Scale–Revised; FSFI, Female Sexual Function Index; MAAS, Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. World Health Organization, Measuring Sexual health: Conceptual and Practical Considerations and Related Indicators, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2010, p. 22.
    1. Clayton AH, Valladares Juarez EM, Female Sexual Dysfunction, Med. Clin. North Am 103 (4) (2019) 681–698. - PubMed
    1. McCabe MP, Sharlip ID, Atalla E, Balon R, Fisher AD, Laumann E, Lee SW, Lewis R, Segraves RT, Definitions of sexual dysfunctions in women and men: a consensus statement from the fourth international consultation on sexual medicine 2015, J. Sex. Med 13 (2) (2016) 135–143. - PubMed
    1. Shifren JL, Monz BU, Russo PA, Segreti A, Johannes CB, Sexual problems and distress in United States women: prevalence and correlates, Obstet. Gynecol 112 (5) (2008) 970–978. - PubMed
    1. McCabe MP, Sharlip ID, Lewis R, Atalla E, Balon R, Fisher AD, Laumann E, Lee SW, Segraves RT, Incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women and men: a consensus statement from the fourth international consultation on sexual medicine 2015, J. Sex. Med 13 (2) (2016) 144–152. - PubMed