Sexual fantasies and sexual arousal in women with a history of childhood sexual abuse

Treatments of female sexual arousal dysfunction for childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors could greatly benefit from more information on mechanisms to the sexual arousal problems specific to this population. In this study, 60 CSA survivors and 120 women with no history of CSA (NCSA) participated in an Internet-based survey on sexual arousal and sexual fantasies. Self-reported sexual arousal was measured with the Female Sexual Function Index and a modified version of the Derogatis Sexual Function Inventory: Sexual Fantasies was used to assess frequency and types of sexual fantasies. The frequency of degrading and violent sexual fantasies was not associated with sexual arousal. The CSA group did not report more degrading and violent sexual fantasies than the NCSA group. Greater frequency of conventional fantasies (i.e. sex with one's partner, sex in unusual positions, oral sex) was associated with greater sexual arousal for both groups. Clinical implications derived from these findings include whether encouraging more conventional sexual fantasies could facilitate sexual arousal.