A preliminary study on the effect of trauma-focused therapies on sexual dysfunctions in women with PTSD after childhood abuse

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with female sexual dysfunctions (FSD). However, little is known about the impact of therapies for PTSD on FSD according to DSM-5 criteria. Aim/objective: To examine if sexual functioning diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria improves after treatment for PTSD in women with a PTSD diagnosis after interpersonal child abuse. Method: FSD according to DSM-5 criteria were assessed with the structured clinical interview SISEX in N = 152 female participants (mean age = 36.5 years) of a large randomized controlled trial three months into treatment and after 15 months of receiving either dialectical behavior therapy for PTSD or cognitive processing therapy. Number of fulfilled FSD criteria and diagnostic status were compared from pre -to post -treatment using Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses and the McNemar test. The effect of treatment type on reduction of FSD symptoms and the association between reduction in PTSD symptoms and reduction in FSD symptoms were assessed. Results: From pre -to post -treatment, the number of fulfilled criteria for each FSD decreased (Incident rate ratios between 0.60 and 0.71, p between <. 001 and <0 .05). Less women met criteria for genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder at post -treatment compared to pre-treatment (11.8 % vs. 6.6 %, p < .05). No difference was found between treatments in reduction of FSD symptoms. Reduction of PTSD symptoms was associated with greater decrease in FSD symptoms. Conclusions: Our results suggest a positive association between effective PTSD treatments and improvements in sexual functioning of women with PTSD after child abuse.