Determinants of sexual desire problems in women: testing a cognitive-emotional model

Recent studies have shown the impact of sexual dysfunctional beliefs, negative cognitive schemas, negative automatic thoughts, and depressed affect on female sexual functioning. Taking these findings into account, the aim of the present article was to develop and test a cognitive-emotional model for sexual desire problems in women. A total of 310 women (263 participants from the general population and 47 participants with a DSM-IV diagnosis of sexual dysfunction) answered a set of questionnaires assessing cognitive and emotional variables. The conceptual model proposed hypothesized that dysfunctional sexual beliefs work as predisposing factors, stipulating the conditional rules for the activation of negative cognitive schemas. These schemas, once activated, would elicit negative automatic thoughts and emotions impairing the processing of erotic stimuli and interfering negatively with sexual desire. A path analysis was conducted to test the theoretical model proposed. Results supported the relevance of the model and its adjustment to the observed data, indicating the main role performed by cognitive and emotional factors on the predisposition and maintenance of sexual desire problems in women, and suggesting important implications for treatment.