No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Crying and sadness after sexual intercourse: a qualitative study of postcoital dysphoria
Abstract
A phenomenon of postcoital dysphoria is the experience of negative effect after sexual intercourse, specifically tearfulness, a sense of melancholy or depression, anxiety, or aggression, which is hard to control or minimalize. The causes of this phenomenon are unknown. This article presents a content analysis of personal descriptions published on online forums from women suffering from postcoital dysphoria. The study aimed to determine the problem of this phenomenon in personal experiences, to exhibit if psychological
description coincides with women’s descriptions, and to check how often women write on forums about their problem. The study was qualitative research: the content analysis of posts appearing on online forums. The study included six online forums related to mental health, relationship and sexuality. All descriptions have been divided into three groups connected with emotions, behaviour, and partner’s response. Due to the qualitative research, the most popular PCD symptoms are crying and sobbing what might result from both
positive and negative emotions. Based on the theoretical description of PCD symptoms do not coincide with personal experiences. Furthermore, the partner’s response is relevant for understanding and coping with sexual difficulties symptoms. The postcoital dysphoria causes remain multifactorial.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Consensual sexual activity is believed to be associated with a positive emotional experience, however, Postcoital Dysphoria (PCD) is a counter-intuitive phenomenon characterized by inexplicable feelings of tearfulness, sadness, or irritability following otherwise satisfactory consensual sexual activity. Prevalence of PCD has been reported among females, but not among males. The present study utilized an anonymous online questionnaire to examine the prevalence and correlates of PCD amongst an international sample including 1,208 male participants. Forty one percent reported experiencing PCD in their lifetime and 20% reported experiencing PCD in the previous four weeks. Between 3 - 4% of the sample reported experiencing PCD on a regular basis. PCD was found to be associated with current psychological distress, childhood sexual abuse, and several sexual dysfunctions. Results indicate that the male experience of the resolution phase may be far more varied, complex, and nuanced than previously thought and lay a foundation for future research investigating PCD among males. Findings have implications for therapeutic settings as well as the general discourse regarding the male sexual experience.
Introduction: Several studies have shown that sexuality is an important aspect of life. Nevertheless, sexual matters are only rarely discussed between patients and doctors. Other studies have suggested that women undergoing fertility treatment compose a group of patients with low satisfaction in their sexual life.
Aim: To investigate how women at a fertility clinic desire and experience communication about sexual matters with doctors and to investigate the sexual function of these women.
Methods: A cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire survey of women attending a Danish fertility clinic over 4 months was performed. Descriptive statistics were calculated and presented as frequencies.
Main Outcome Measure: Communication about sexual matters with doctors included the women’s comfort, preferred and actual frequency of discussion, and initiation of the conversation. Sexual function included participants’ sexuality during the past year including certain sexual difficulties.
Results: Of the 201 participating women in the survey, most felt comfortable discussing sexual matters with doctors and preferred gynecologists for such discussions. There was a greater desire for communication than what was actually experienced by the women, and most wanted to initiate the conversation themselves. The women were less satisfied with their sexual life compared with a national control group, and they experienced sexual difficulties more often.
Conclusion: There is an unmet desire of women in fertility treatment for discussing sexual matters, and greater communication on this subject needs to be clinically implemented.
Eldridge KE, Giraldi A. Communication About Sexual Matters With Women Attending a Danish Fertility Clinic. A Descriptive Study. Sex Med 2017;5:e196–e202.
Many women with postnatal mental illness do not get the treatment they need and this is often because stigma prevents disclosure. The purpose of this study was to explore online social support for postnatal mental illness, how women experience stigma and potential disadvantages of using Internet forums. Interviews were conducted with fifteen participants who had suffered postnatal mental illness and had used forums. Systematic thematic analysis identified common themes in relation to social support, stigma and disadvantages of using forums. Most women felt they benefited from visiting forums by developing a shared understanding and discourse about their illness. Findings suggest future research should investigate if women benefit from using online social support provided by forums, if use challenges stigma and further explore potential concerns about using forums.
IntroductionWhile problems related to desire, arousal, and orgasm have been subject to extensive epidemiologic research, women's postcoital reactions and feelings, and postcoital dysphoria (PCD) remains under-researched.AimThe study examined the association between women's attachment anxiety and avoidance, differentiation of self, and the experience of PCD symptoms.Methods
Two hundred and thirty female university students completed an online survey.Main Outcome MeasuresThe Female Sexual Function Index, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised, and study specific questions.ResultsForty-six percent of respondents reported experiencing PCD symptoms at least once in their lifetime with 5.1% experiencing PCD symptoms a few times within the past 4 weeks. A small but significant inverse correlation was found between lifetime prevalence of PCD and sexual functioning (r = −0.16). While the regression model accounted for 22% of variance in lifetime prevalence of PCD, attachment and differentiation of self variables did not account for significant variance.Conclusions
The findings confirm that PCD is under-recognized and under-researched. There appears to be no relationship between PCD and intimacy in close relationships. Further research is necessary to understand the subjective experience of PCD and to inform the development of a reliable measure. Schweitzer RD, O'Brien J, and Burri A. Postcoital dysphoria: Prevalence and psychological correlates. Sex Med **;**:**–**.
This study examined the lifetime and 4-week prevalence of postcoital dysphoria (PCD) and its relationship with psychological distress and reports of past sexual abuse. Among 222 female university students, 32.9% reported having ever experienced PCD whereas 10% reported experiencing PCD in the previous 4 weeks. Multiple regression analyses revealed support for the hypothesis that lifetime and 4-week prevalence of PCD would be positively correlated with psychological distress. Lifetime prevalence of PCD, but not 4-week prevalence, was also correlated with reports of childhood sexual abuse. These factors explained only minimal variance in PCD prevalence, prompting further research into this significantly underinvestigated sexual difficulty.
Support from a partner can play a key role in a woman's emotional adjustment to breast cancer. However, little is known about the influence of partner behaviours on a woman's sexual adjustment. This study examined the prospective relationship between baseline levels of several types of perceived partner support (instrumental, informational, emotional and negative) and psychosexual adjustment (sexual functioning and relationship satisfaction) over the course of 12 months post-surgery in a sample of 130 women with breast cancer. Results indicated that perceptions of greater emotional and informational support from the partner at baseline were associated with less sexual difficulties among breast cancer patients concurrently and 6 months post-surgery. Baseline perceptions of greater emotional and instrumental support from a partner were associated with greater relationship satisfaction at all time points. Perceptions of informational support at baseline were related to greater concurrent relationship satisfaction. Baseline perceptions of negative partner support were related to less relationship satisfaction, but only concurrently. These findings suggest that the perception of a partner's provision of emotional, instrumental and informational support may each play a role in facilitating sexual adjustment and relationship satisfaction.
We report a comparative keyword analysis of interviews and Internet postings involving people with breast and prostate cancer and discussion of sexual health. Interviewees produce retrospective accounts, their content guided by interviewers' questions, which might elicit rich biographical and contextual details. Internet exchanges concern participants' current experiences and contain detailed accounts of disease processes, medical procedures, bodily processes, and, in the case of sexual health, sexual practices. They are used by participants to exchange information and support in a relatively anonymous context. Because of the ease with which large amounts of such archived Internet materials can be accessed and analyzed, this source has considerable potential for direct observation of illness experiences, although some disadvantages also exist. This reverses an earlier situation where observational research was more laborious than qualitative interviews. Observational material for research purposes is, through the Internet, now easy to obtain and produces naturalistic data.
To describe social support for weight loss shared by members of a large Internet weight loss community.
We conducted a mixed-methods study with surveys (n=193) and interviews (n=13) of community members along with a content analysis of discussion forum messages (n=1924 messages). Qualitative data were analyzed for social support themes.
Survey respondents were primarily white (91.4%) and female (93.8%) with mean age 37.3 years and mean body mass index 30.9. They used forums frequently, with 56.8% reading messages, 36.1% replying to messages, and 18.5% posting messages to start a discussion related to weight loss on a daily or more frequent basis. Major social support themes were encouragement and motivation, mentioned at least once by 87.6% of survey respondents, followed by information (58.5%) and shared experiences (42.5%). Subthemes included testimonies, recognition for success, accountability, friendly competition, and humor. Members valued convenience, anonymity, and the non-judgmental interactions as unique characteristics of Internet-mediated support.
This Internet weight loss community plays a prominent role in participants' weight loss efforts. Social support within Internet weight loss communities merits further evaluation as a weight loss resource for clinicians to recommend to patients. Understanding these communities could improve how health professionals evaluate, build, harness, and manipulate social support for weight loss.
Western cultures have witnessed a tremendous cultural and social transformation of sexuality in the years since the sexual revolution. Apart from a few public debates and scandals, the process has moved along gradually and quietly. Yet its real and symbolic effects are probably much more consequential than those generated by the sexual revolution of the sixties. Sigusch refers to the broad-based recoding and reassessment of the sexual sphere during the eighties and nineties as the "neosexual revolution". The neosexual revolution is dismantling the old patterns of sexuality and reassembling them anew. In the process, dimensions, intimate relationships, preferences and sexual fragments emerge, many of which had submerged, were unnamed or simply did not exist before. In general, sexuality has lost much of its symbolic meaning as a cultural phenomenon. Sexuality is no longer the great metaphor for pleasure and happiness, nor is it so greatly overestimated as it was during the sexual revolution. It is now widely taken for granted, much like egotism or motility. Whereas sex was once mystified in a positive sense - as ecstasy and transgression, it has now taken on a negative mystification characterized by abuse, violence and deadly infection. While the old sexuality was based primarily upon sexual instinct, orgasm and the heterosexual couple, neosexualities revolve predominantly around gender difference, thrills, self-gratification and prosthetic substitution. From the vast number of interrelated processes from which neosexualities emerge, three empirically observable phenomena have been selected for discussion here: the dissociation of the sexual sphere, the dispersion of sexual fragments and the diversification of intimate relationships. The outcome of the neosexual revolution may be described as "lean sexuality" and "self-sex".
More Americans try to change their health behaviors through self-help than through all other forms of professionally designed programs. Mutual support groups, involving little or no cost to participants, have a powerful effect on mental and physical health, yet little is known about patterns of support group participation in health care. What kinds of illness experiences prompt patients to seek each other's company? In an effort to observe social comparison processes with real-world relevance, support group participation was measured for 20 disease categories in 4 metropolitan areas (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas) and on 2 on-line forums. Support seeking was highest for diseases viewed as stigmatizing (e.g., AIDS, alcoholism, breast and prostate cancer) and was lowest for less embarrassing but equally devastating disorders, such as heart disease. The authors discuss implications for social comparison theory and its applications in health care.
Content analysis is a widely used qualitative research technique. Rather than being a single method, current applications of content analysis show three distinct approaches: conventional, directed, or summative. All three approaches are used to interpret meaning from the content of text data and, hence, adhere to the naturalistic paradigm. The major differences among the approaches are coding schemes, origins of codes, and threats to trustworthiness. In conventional content analysis, coding categories are derived directly from the text data. With a directed approach, analysis starts with a theory or relevant research findings as guidance for initial codes. A summative content analysis involves counting and comparisons, usually of keywords or content, followed by the interpretation of the underlying context. The authors delineate analytic procedures specific to each approach and techniques addressing trustworthiness with hypothetical examples drawn from the area of end-of-life care.
Postnatal depression is a common disorder occurring in 13% to 15% pregnant women and is associated with deleterious health outcomes for mother, infant and families. There is a subset of women with increased susceptibility to estrogen fluctuations which may represent an underlying risk factor for postnatal depression. Given the crosstalk between different endocrine systems, we interrogated whether hormonal sensitivity might influence other hormonal phases in women such as post-sex distress or postcoital dysphoria.
We assessed 1,801 women using questionnaires. Data analyses were carried out using SPSS Version 17.0. Women with postnatal depression had significantly higher rates of postcoital dysphoria (P-value=0.009, 99% CI of 0.007-0.012), this remained significant even after corrections for multiple testing. Women with postnatal depression reported higher rates of anxiety (P-value=2 × 10-6), depression (P-value=2.9 × 10-11), childhood sexual abuse (P-value=0.022), childhood physical abuse (P-value=0.001), childhood emotional abuse (P-value=0.000103), adult sexual abuse (p-value=0.001), physical abuse (P-value=0.000313) and emotional abuse (P-value=0.002).
Women with postnatal depression tended to have increased rates of postcoital dysphoria, implying a likely common vulnerability mechanism for the disorders. These findings have implications for preventive diagnosis and treatment.
The aim of this study is to describe and understand experiences related to social support for women with fibromyalgia who suffer from sexual dysfunction. An interpretive qualitative research methodology based on Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics was used. Data collection included a focus group and in-depth interviews with 13 women who averaged 44.8 years of age and 14.3 years since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Data were analyzed using Fleming’s method and two themes were identified: “searching for understanding in socio-family support” and “lack of formal support regarding fibromyalgia patient’s sexuality.” The partner constitutes the main support for women with fibromyalgia. Although they can find understanding and social support in patient associations, they lack formal support from health care professionals. Women demand trusted and expert professionals, like sexologists and nurses, to carry out a multidisciplinary approach to tackle sexual dysfunction associated with fibromyalgia.
B y the time of the publication of the first general textbook in content analysis in 1952 (Berelson's Content Analysis in Communication Research), the basic ingredients of the new methodology had all been worked out. And so had the rhetorical format of introducing the technique through a list of definitions by various authors – we will find that same format in later textbooks from Holsti to Krippendorff, and in various accounts of the development of content analysis from Shapiro and Markoff to Franzosi. 1 Sticking to this format, the following early defin-itions 2 leave no doubt about the quantitative nature of the technique: "[the method of] quantitative content analysis … consists of tabu-lating the occurrences of content units …" "Content analysis … attempts to characterize the meanings in a given body of discourse in a systematic and quantitative fashion. Content analysis is the statistical semantics of political discourse. … Content analysis aims at statistical formulations, directed toward empirical problems … its statistical character [is] one of its most distinctive attributes." "A distinguishing characteristic of content analysis … is its quan-titative aspect." Indeed, content analysis was born as a quantitative technique. Harold D. Lasswell, Lerner, and de Sola Pool (1952: 45; emphasis added), the father founders of the technique, put it in these words: "There is clearly no reason for content analysis unless the question one wants answered is quantitative." 3 Quantification was the result of frequencies obtained through count-ing. 4 In his statement of the state of the art of content analysis, by 1959 standards, de Sola Pool (1959: 195) wrote: "Counting frequencies was the main activity of content analysts in the 1930s and 1940s. Indeed, for many people that is how content analysis was defined. Berelson's book minus one chapter is almost wholly devoted to such frequency counts. Harold D.
This paper is a description of inductive and deductive content analysis.
Content analysis is a method that may be used with either qualitative or quantitative data and in an inductive or deductive way. Qualitative content analysis is commonly used in nursing studies but little has been published on the analysis process and many research books generally only provide a short description of this method.
When using content analysis, the aim was to build a model to describe the phenomenon in a conceptual form. Both inductive and deductive analysis processes are represented as three main phases: preparation, organizing and reporting. The preparation phase is similar in both approaches. The concepts are derived from the data in inductive content analysis. Deductive content analysis is used when the structure of analysis is operationalized on the basis of previous knowledge.
Inductive content analysis is used in cases where there are no previous studies dealing with the phenomenon or when it is fragmented. A deductive approach is useful if the general aim was to test a previous theory in a different situation or to compare categories at different time periods.
Introducing psychology. Brain, Person
- M S Kosslyn
- R S Rosenberg
Kosslyn MS, Rosenberg RS. Introducing psychology. Brain, Person, Group 2010: 495-515.
The Sage Encylopedia of Qualitative Research Methods
- L Given
- Methodology
Given L. Q Methodology. The Sage Encylopedia of Qualitative
Research Methods. SAGE Publications 2008.