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Published on: September 12, 2014
The impact of anxiety on sexual arousal in women
Andrea Bradford1, Cindy M Meston
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A8000, Austin, TX 78712, USA. a.bradford@mail.utexas.edu
Abstract:
This study examined the impact of state anxiety, trait anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity on physiological and self-report measures of sexual arousal and sexual function in a non-clinical sample of women. Physiological sexual responses to an erotic stimulus were assessed using vaginal photoplethysmography, and subjective reactions were measured using questionnaires. Results suggested a curvilinear relationship between state anxiety and physiological sexual arousal (vaginal pulse amplitude; VPA). Trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity were correlated with self-reported sexual arousal outside the laboratory. The findings may be interpreted in light of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) influences on sexual arousal and potential cognitive interference mechanisms associated with anxiety.
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