Dyadic Adjustment and Sexual Satisfaction in HPV Diagnosed Portuguese Women: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between dyadic adjustment and sexual satisfaction, in Portuguese women diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV), using a 1-year longitudinal design. Women were assessed at the beginning of the study (N ¼ 209), six months after (N ¼ 178) and twelve months later (N ¼ 105). A better dyadic adjustment predicted more sexual satisfaction but the inverse was not observed. Younger women (< 40 years) showed greater difficulties in dyadic adjustment, while older women (> 40 years) reported lower sexual satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of intervening with couples, using different intervention programs according to women's age.

Adaptation of patients diagnosed with human papillomavirus: a grounded theory study

“…A review of literature shows that the studies conducted on HPV are mostly focused on women, and such matters as quality of life [ 10 ], marital adaptation to the infection (using a quantitative approach) [ 11 ], vaccination [ 12 ], the psycho-sexual effects of being diagnosed with HPV [ 13 , 14 ], women’s experiences of facing their infection [ 15 ], women’s psychological responses to positive HPV test [ 16 ], the information management processes of women living with HPV [ 17 ], and reproductive concerns of HPV- positive women [ 18 ]. Research findings show that testing positive for human papillomavirus is accompanied by feelings of shame, stigma, self-deprecation, regret, anxiety and concern [ 16 , 18 , 19 ].…”