Women's Endorsement of Models of Female Sexual Response: The Nurses' Sexuality Study
- 1 May 2007
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journal of Sexual Medicine
- Vol. 4 (3), 708-719
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00496.x
Abstract
The current Summary of Recommendations on Sexual Dysfunction in Women is conceptually grounded on a model of women's sexual function that has not been empirically tested in samples of women with and without sexual dysfunction.The current research represents an initial effort to assess the extent to which women in a community sample endorse current theoretical models of female sexual function based upon work by Masters and Johnson, Kaplan, and Basson as accurately reflecting their own sexual experience.Women's endorsement of brief descriptions of current models of female sexual function (Masters and Johnson, Kaplan, and Basson) as accurately reflecting their own sexual experience and their own levels of sexual function or dysfunction as assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).A random sample of 580 Registered Nurses was mailed a 58-item questionnaire which assessed women's perception of the fit of their sexual experience with current models of female sexual response and included the FSFI.In total, 133 women, of whom 111 had a current man partner, returned responses. Approximately equal proportions of women endorsed the Masters and Johnson, Kaplan, and Basson models of female sexual response as representing their own sexual experience. Women endorsing the Basson model had significantly lower FSFI domain scores than women who endorsed either the Masters and Johnson or Kaplan models.These are the first data to assess the proportion of a community sample of women who endorse widely accepted models of female sexual response as representing their own sexual experience. Women in this sample were equally likely to endorse each of these different models, emphasizing the heterogeneity of women's sexual response, and highlighting the need for additional research to guide the field's acceptance and application of particular models of female sexuality in particular situations. Women's endorsement of models of female sexual response was correlated with their FSFI scores, and findings suggest that the Basson model, currently advanced by the Second International Consultation on Sexual Medicine, may best reflect women with sexual concerns (e.g., FSFI < 26.55), rather than a single normative sexual response pattern.This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Historical, Scientific, Clinical, and Feminist Criticisms of "The Human Sexual Response Cycle" ModelPublished by Taylor & Francis Ltd ,2018
- Sexual Dysfunctions: Classifications and DefinitionsThe Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2007
- Adding Insult to Injury: The Classification of Dyspareunia as a Sexual Dysfunction in the DSMArchives of Sexual Behavior, 2005
- Recent advances in women’s sexual function and dysfunctionMenopause, 2004
- Summary of the Recommendations on Sexual Dysfunctions in WomenThe Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2004
- Prevalence of sexual dysfunctions and correlated conditions in a sample of Brazilian women—results of the Brazilian study on sexual behavior (BSSB)International Journal of Impotence Research, 2004
- Distress About Sex: A National Survey of Women in Heterosexual RelationshipsArchives of Sexual Behavior, 2003
- Sexual Health, Reproductive Health, Sexual Coercion, and Partner Abuse Indicators in a Canadian Obstetrics and Gynaecology Outpatient PopulationJournal SOGC, 2000
- Sexual Dysfunction in the United StatesJAMA, 1999
- Assessment of female sexual arousal: Response specificity and construct validityPsychophysiology, 1995