Body dissatisfaction and sexual distress: testing a mediation model with pregnant and non-pregnant partnered women

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is characterized by physical, hormonal, and psychological changes that can affect women’s sexuality and for those who are in a dyadic relationship, it also affects couple’s sexual relationship. Aim: Compare a sample of pregnant and non-pregnant women and establish if pregnant women have lower, equal or higher levels of body dissatisfaction, body appearance cognitive distraction during sexual activity and sexual distress about their sexual function compared to non-pregnant women and to test a moderated mediation explanatory model of the impact of body dissatisfaction on sexual distress, using pregnancy as the moderator. Methods: The present study had the participation of 44 non-pregnant women and 43 pregnant women from the general Portuguese population (n = 87), aged between 25 and 40 years who self-identify as heterosexual and are involved in an exclusive and committed dyadic relationship, completed an online survey. Main Outcome Measures: Women completed validated general measure of body dissatisfaction (Global Body Dissatisfaction Scale), sexual distress (procedure taken from National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles), cognitive distraction based on body appearance during sexual activity (Body Appearance Cognitive Distraction Scale). Results: Cognitive distraction with the appearance of the body intervenes in the association between dissatisfaction with the body and sexual difficulties. In addition, the effect of body dissatisfaction on sexual distress, in the presence of the mediating variable was reduced to non-significance, thus revealing a full mediation effect of cognitive distraction based on the body's appearance in the association between body dissatisfaction and sexual distress. Conclusion: This study advances our understanding of sexuality during pregnancy by evaluating sexual distress. As such, the data provide a more accurate picture on the sexual distress that women experience during pregnancy in relation to body dissatisfaction.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	English
Supervisor	Patrícia M. Pascoal (Supervisor)