Mindfulness-Based Interventions in The Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Female sexual health has become a growing field of research and focus of clinical practice in the last 10-15 years. Mindfulness-based interventions, which emphasize the focus of attention on here and now experiences without being judgmental but with an accepting attitude, have emerged as a promising treatment option for women with sexual dysfunction. In this context, the purpose of this review is to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of mindfulness-based psychological interventions in women having difficulty at various stages of sexual functioning. In line with this purpose, several databases were searched with the keywords of “sexual dysfunction AND mindfulness”, “sexual desire AND mindfulness”, “sexual arousal AND mindfulness”, “sexual pain AND mindfulness”, and “orgasm disorder AND mindfulness”. Based on PRISMA decision criteria, 13 research article published between 2000 and 2017 have been identified. The findings indicated that both individual and group-oriented mindfulness-based therapies significantly improved sexual dysfunctions in various aspects of the sexual response cycle and these improvements were maintained in the long term. Besides the primary outcomes related to sexual functioning, it appears to cause positive changes in many areas such as depression, anxiety, couple harmony, and communication as well. 

Keywords

• Mindfulness,female sexual dysfunction,treatment,systematic review

Kadında Cinsel İşlev Bozukluğunun Tedavisinde Bilinçli Farkındalık Temelli Müdahaleler: Sistematik Bir Derleme

Öz

Kadın cinsel sağlığı son 10-15 yılda giderek gelişen bir araştırma alanı ve klinik uygulamaların odağı haline gelmiştir. Yargılayıcı olmadan ve kabullenici bir tutumla dikkatin anlık deneyimlere odaklanmasını vurgulayan bilinçli farkındalık temelli müdahaleler, cinsel işlev bozukluğu yaşayan kadınlar için umut verici bir tedavi seçeneği olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu bağlamda bu derleme çalışmasının amacı, cinsel işlevselliğin çeşitli aşamalarında sorun yaşayan kadınlarda bilinçli farkındalık temelli psikolojik müdahalelerin kullanılabilirlik ve etkililiğini değerlendirmektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, çeşitli veri tabanları “sexual dysfunction AND mindfulness”(“cinsel işlev bozukluğu” ve “bilinçli farkındalık”), “sexual desire AND mindfulness” (“cinsel istek” ve “bilinçli farkındalık”), “sexual arousal AND mindfulness” (“cinsel uyarılma” ve “ bilinçli farkındalık”),, “sexual pain AND mindfulness” (“cinsel ağrı” ve “ bilinçli farkındalık”), ve “orgasm disorder AND mindfulness” (“orgazm bozukluğu” ve “bilinçli farkındalık”) anahtar kelimeleri ile taranmıştır. PRISMA karar kriterlerine bağlı kalınarak yapılan tarama 2000 ve 2017 yılları arasında yayınlanmış 13 araştırma makalesi tespit edilmiştir. Bulgular, hem bireysel hem de grup odaklı bilinçli farkındalık temelli terapilerin cinsel tepki döngüsünün çeşitli boyutlarında yaşanan cinsel işlev bozukluklarında anlamlı düzeyde iyileşme sağladığını ve bu iyileşmelerin uzun dönemde korunduğunu göstermiştir. Cinsel işlevsellikle ilgili birincil sonuçların yanında, depresyon ve kaygı, çift uyumu, iletişim gibi pek çok alanda da olumlu değişime yol açtığı görülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Farkındalık,kadında cinsel işlev bozukluğu,tedavi,sistematik derleme

Kaynakça

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