Examining Sexual Stimuli Avoidance in Women with Vulvovaginal Pain: Insights from Eye Tracking Measurements

Introduction: According to the Information Processing Model of Sexual Arousal, directing attention towards relevant sexual stimuli enhances the appraisal of such stimuli as sexually relevant, therefore facilitating sexual arousal (Janssen et al., 2000; Velten et al., 2020). So, the ability to focus on sexual cues during any kind of sexual activity is crucial for maintaining healthy sexual functioning. Previous research indicates that women experiencing sexual discomfort or vulvo-vaginal pain tend to display reduced overt attention toward sexual stimuli, in particular they tend to avoid looking at genitals or erotic scenes depicting sex with penetration. Aim: The objective of this study was to employ the eye-tracking technique to examine whether women who report suffering from vulvo-vaginal pain exhibit different visual attention patterns towards the genital areas in dynamic sexual stimuli, specifically erotic hetero and lesbian videos, in comparison to women with no genital pain complain. Method: 153 university students watched four videos (two erotic and two non-erotic) and completed a short questionnaire on their attitudes towards sex and their sexual life habits. Forty-one participants reported suffering from genital pain. Number of fixation, total time view, number of revisits and first view have been analysed in relation to Pain and No pain conditions. Results: No difference has been found in visual pattern between women with vulvo-vaginal pain and healthy women, however, a significant effect has been found in regard to galvanic skin response . In fact, participants suffering from genital pain also showed higher electrodermal activity while watching the videos.