Stress and marital discord: Some sex differences

Abstract

The general importance of stress reduction techniques in sexual and marital therapy is examined in the light of findings that sexual dysfunction is an important factor in marital discord for men, but not for women. The implications of this finding for treatment are examined, and it is concluded that, while stress reduction may have a role to play in the treatment of specific sexual dysfunctions in men, a more global approach to change is needed for sex therapy in women.

Sexual difficulties within a group of patients with vulvodynia

“…These were GRISS for sexual dysfunction; GRIMS for marital and relationship dif® culties; HAD and a self reported score of target symptoms, which included a current vulval pain scale (see Appendix 1) for depression and anxiety. The validated GRISS and GRIMS questionnaires were chosen to collect data on sexual and relationship functioning, as they were viewed as the most robust tools (Rust & Golombok 1986a, 1986bRust et al, 1988aRust et al, , 1988bRust & Golombok, 1990a, Rust et al, 1990b. Validated pain-linked questionnaires were not felt to be applicable to all of this subject group and it was considered essential by the researchers to design an appropriate research tool to collect current information about the experience of vulval pain and the current consequences of it on women's sexual behaviour.…”