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Effects of mindfulness training on body awareness to sexual stimuli: implications for female sexual dysfunction.

Psychosomatic medicine
January 1, 2011
R Gina Silverstein et al. (4 authors)
Clinical TrialJournal ArticleResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether mindfulness meditation training improves interoceptive awareness and reduces psychological barriers (attention, self-judgment, and clinical symptoms) to healthy sexual functioning in women.

Results Summary

Female participants in the mindfulness group showed significant improvements in interoceptive awareness, attention, self-judgment, and reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms compared to controls. Improvements in interoceptive awareness were correlated with reductions in psychological barriers.

Population

44 college students (30 women)

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

12 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
mindfulness meditation training
increase
physiological responses (interoceptive awareness) to sexual stimuli
women who participated in the meditation training
-
became significantly faster at registering
#1
mindfulness meditation training
increase
attention
female meditators
-
improved their scores on
#2
mindfulness meditation training
increase
self-judgment
female meditators
-
improved their scores on
#3
mindfulness meditation training
decrease
symptoms of anxiety
female meditators
-
improved their scores on
#4
mindfulness meditation training
decrease
symptoms of depression
female meditators
-
improved their scores on
#5
mindfulness meditation training
increase
interoceptive awareness
-
-
improvements in
#6
Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Treatments of female sexual dysfunction have been largely unsuccessful because they do not address the psychological factors that underlie female sexuality. Negative self-evaluative processes interfere with the ability to attend and register physiological changes (interoceptive awareness). This study explores the effect of mindfulness meditation training on interoceptive awareness and the three categories of known barriers to healthy sexual functioning: attention, self-judgment, and clinical symptoms. METHODS: Forty-four college students (30 women) participated in either a 12-week course containing a "meditation laboratory" or an active control course with similar content or laboratory format. Interoceptive awareness was measured by reaction time in rating physiological response to sexual stimuli. Psychological barriers were assessed with self-reported measures of mindfulness and psychological well-being. RESULTS: Women who participated in the meditation training became significantly faster at registering their physiological responses (interoceptive awareness) to sexual stimuli compared with active controls (F(1,28) = 5.45, p = .03, η(p)(2) = 0.15). Female meditators also improved their scores on attention (t = 4.42, df = 11, p = .001), self-judgment, (t = 3.1, df = 11, p = .01), and symptoms of anxiety (t = -3.17, df = 11, p = .009) and depression (t = -2.13, df = 11, p < .05). Improvements in interoceptive awareness were correlated with improvements in the psychological barriers to healthy sexual functioning (r = -0.44 for attention, r = -0.42 for self-judgment, and r = 0.49 for anxiety; all p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness-based improvements in interoceptive awareness highlight the potential of mindfulness training as a treatment of female sexual dysfunction.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdolescentAnxietyArousalAttentionAwarenessDepressionFemaleHumansMaleMeditationReaction TimeSelf ConceptSensationSex FactorsSexual Dysfunctions, PsychologicalSexualityStudentsWomenYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations76
Citations/Year5.4
Relative Citation Ratio3.22
NIH Percentile86.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score1.41
Normalized Score0.69
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