Association of mindfulness with female sexual dysfunction.

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

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Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

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.