The enhancing effects of anxiety on arousal in sexually dysfunctional and functional women

Article Abstract:

The physiological and cognitive effects of anxiety on sexual arousal were studied among 16 sexually dysfunctional and 16 sexually functional women. The women in the dysfunctional group were 22 to 39 years old and being treated for one or more sexual problems (such as low sexual desire or the inability to achieve orgasm). Women in the functional group ranged in age from 22 to 50, and had never experienced sexual problems. In a laboratory setting, during two one-hour sessions, the women were shown pairs of videotape stimuli sequences. The first was either a one-minute neutral (e.g. a travelogue) or anxiety-provoking (e.g. a threatened amputation) film, followed by a three-minute erotic film. A vaginal photoplethysmograph and digital recording device measured physiological sexual arousal. The women also completed a self-report rating scale to assess perceived physiological and cognitive arousal and effects induced by anxiety. Data analysis revealed that the anxiety-provoking stimuli significantly increased physical sexual arousal during the erotic films in both groups of women, although to a lesser degree in the dysfunctional group. The functional group also demonstrated genital arousal after the neutral stimuli. However, all 16 women in the dysfunctional group only achieved significant increases in genital arousal after the anxiety stimuli. On the self-report measure, both groups rated the anxiety-erotic condition as being less sexually arousing than the neutral condition. Discrepancies between subjective and physiological measures of sexual arousal were discussed in terms of socialization standards, the lack of synchrony between bodily cues of physiological arousal and cognitively experienced arousal, and the importance of understanding physiological-cognitive interactions when treating sexual dysfunctions in women. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Sexual behavior, Sexual disorders, Measurement, Physiological aspects, Sexual excitement

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Nonclinical panic in college students: an investigation of prevalence and symptomatology

Article Abstract:

A large sampling of college students was evaluated to assess the prevalence of panic disorder and panic attacks in individuals who had not been clinically diagnosed. The students completed questionnaires and mental health histories were taken. Of the total group of 2,375 subjects, 12 percent reported having at least one unexpected panic attack. When the clinical criteria in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition, (DSM-III) were used, 2.36 percent of the total group were diagnosed with panic disorder. The overall prevalence of panic attack was equally observed in men and women. However, women reported higher frequencies of panic episodes, while men were significantly more worried about having a panic attack than the women were. The 12 percent who experienced nonclinical panic incidents exhibited fewer symptoms and episodes, less worry and anxiety, and less panic-related avoidance behavior when compared with the subjects who met the DSM-III criteria. Fear of dying or going insane were also less prevalent among the infrequent panickers. These results support the hypothesis that anxious apprehension may be a factor indicating vulnerability to the development of panic disorder. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk factors, Panic disorders, Panic disorder

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The social self in bulimia nervosa: public self-consciousness, social anxiety, and perceived fraudulence

Article Abstract:

A study was conducted on the link between bulimia nervosa, social self and body esteem. A negative relationship was obtained between nonclinical women's body esteem and their scores in measures of Perceived Fraudulence, Social Anxiety and Public Self-Consciousness. A comparison between bulimic women, subjects with high Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) scores and control subjects on the same measures revealed differences in Perceived Fraudulence. Furthermore, bulimic women and those with high-EAT scores had higher scores on Public Consciousness and Social Anxiety compared with control subjects.

Women, Bulimia, Self-consciousness, Self-presentation, Self presentation, Self consciousness (Emotion)

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