Assessing Cognitive Appraisals Related to Sexual Function: A Scenario-Based Approach

Cognitive factors play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of sexual difficulties. To date, research has mostly relied on self-report measures to assess negative cognitions related to low sexual function. To overcome the limitations of self-report questionnaires, a series of open-ended, ambiguous sexual scenarios were developed and presented to participants (N = 600, M_age = 34.2 years), who were asked to generate an ending by entering a continuation for each scenario. Valence of completed scenarios was rated by the participants, and scenario endings were coded by two independent raters on three dimensions, namely reference to sexual problems, sexual communication, and the use of sexually explicit language. Sexual function was assessed with the Female Sexual Function Index and the International Index of Erectile Function. Multiple regression analyses were performed to assess whether the scenario-based task was associated with sexual function above and beyond other predictors (e.g., sexual distress). Individuals with lower sexual function rated the completed scenarios more negatively, and their endings included more references to problems related to low sexual function. In women with low sexual function, fewer endings included sexual communication with a partner or sexually explicit language. Our findings suggest that individuals with low sexual function appraise ambiguous sexual situations more negatively than other individuals. Future studies may investigate whether such biases can be experimentally manipulated and whether changes in cognitive biases may, in turn, lead to improvements in sexual function.