José Pinto-Gouveia

Differences in Automatic Thoughts Presented During Sexual Activity Between Sexually Functional and Dysfunctional Men and Women

The study is aimed at investigating the differences between individuals with and without sexual dysfunction on the automatic thoughts content (reported as usually presented) during sexual activity. A total of 491 individuals (163 women and 232 men without sexual problems and 47 women and 49 men with a DSM-IV diagnosis of sexual dysfunction) answered the Sexual Modes Questionnaire (SMQ; Nobre and Pinto-Gouveia (J Sex Res 40:368–382, 2003). Results indicated that men and women with sexual dysfunction reported having had significantly more negative thoughts during sexual activity compared to sexually healthy individuals. Failure and disengagement thoughts (I’m not satisfying my partner, I’m not getting turned on, when will this be over?), sexual abuse thoughts (this is disgusting, he only wants to satisfy himself), and lack of erotic thoughts were significantly more common in women with sexual dysfunction compared to sexually healthy women. Additionally, men with sexual dysfunction presented significantly higher scores on erection concern thoughts (I must be able to have intercourse, I must achieve an erection), failure anticipation thoughts (this is not going anywhere, I’m condemned to failure), and lack of erotic thoughts compared to men without sexual dysfunction. Overall, findings support clinical observations and experimental findings, indicating that cognitive distraction from erotic cues is strongly associated with sexual dysfunction. The increased use of cognitive techniques on the treatment of sexual dysfunction is a major implication of the study.

Cognitive and Emotional Predictors of Female Sexual Dysfunctions : Preliminary Findings

The influence of cognitive and emotional variables on specific female sexual dysfunctions was investigated. A total of 207 women (160 without sexual problems and 47 with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) diagnosis of sexual dysfunction) answered a set of questionnaires assessing cognitive and emotional variables (cognitive schemas activated in sexual context – Questionnaire of Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Context (QCSASC); sexual beliefs – Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire (SDBQ); automatic thoughts and emotions presented during sexual activity – Sexual Modes Questionnaire (SMQ)); and sexual functioning (Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)). Results indicated that most women with sexual dysfunction activate incompetence schemas when facing unsuccessful sexual situations. Additionally, lack of erotic thoughts and increased attentional focus on failure and disengagement thoughts during sexual activity were also common in the clinical sample. Besides these common factors, results showed that some specific cognitive and emotional factors are associated with different clinical presentations. Sexual conservative beliefs seem to be closely related to hypoactive sexual desire and to a certain extent to arousal difficulties in women. Body image beliefs and automatic thoughts focusing on self-body appearance seem to be strongly associated with orgasmic disorder. Regarding emotions, fear was one of the best predictors of vaginismus, whereas sadness, disillusion, guilt, and lack of pleasure and satisfaction were closely associated to hypoactive sexual desire. Overall, these findings may contribute to the discussion regarding the treatment strategies used for the different female sexual dysfunctions.

Sexual modes questionnaire: Measure to assess the interaction among cognitions, emotions, and sexual response

The goal of the present article is to present a new measure developed to assess cognitive and emotional factors of sexual function. This instrument was developed especially to test some hypotheses derived from Becks new theoretical conceptualization (the modes theory; A. T. Beck, 1996). This model, characterized by its systemic and integrated approach, constitutes a remarkable development from a linear to a network perspective of the cognitive‐emotional‐behavioral processes. The new concept of mode, as a composite of schemas (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral) interacting together, is theoretically sound and supported by recent research findings from clinical and experimental sets (see A. T. Beck, 1996, for a revision). Our aim is to develop a new measure specifically created to assess these integrated and interdependent processes in the field of sexuality. The Sexual Modes Questionnaire (SMQ; male and female versions) is a combined measure constituted by three interdependent subscales: automatic thoughts, emotions, and sexual response presented during sexual activity. Psychometric studies showed good reliability and validity results in both versions, and high correlations between several dimensions of the three subscales support the concept of mode and its interactional character. Moreover, the capacity showed by the SMQ to discriminate between sexually functional and dysfunctional subjects and its high correlations with measures of sexual functioning emphasize the role of cognitive‐emotional processes on sexual problems, supporting the clinical value of the measure.

Prevalence and Comorbidity of Sexual Dysfunctions in a Portuguese Clinical Sample

We investigated the prevalence and comorbidity of sexual dysfunction in a clinical Portuguese sample. A total of 96 participants (47 females and 49 males with a diagnosis of sexual dysfunction (DSM-IV; American Psychological Association, 1994) assigned by a group of trained sex therapists) answered the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF; Rosen et al., 1997). Results indicated erectile dysfunction (70%) and female hypoactive sexual desire disorders (40.4%) as the most prevalent complaints, with premature ejaculation (22.4%), vaginismus (25.5%), and female orgasmic disorder (21.3%) also showing relevant prevalences. Comorbidity studies indicated higher levels of overlapping among female sexual difficulties with strong associations between desire, subjective arousal, and orgasmic disorders, as well as between dyspareunia and vaginismus.

Cognitive Schemas Associated with Negative Sexual Events: A Comparison of Men and Women with and Without Sexual Dysfunction

The association between cognitive schemas activated during sexual events and sexual functioning was studied. A total of 376 participants (47 women and 49 men with a DSM-IV diagnosis of sexual dysfunction and 160 women and 120 men from a control group) answered the Questionnaire of Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Context, the International Index of Erectile Function, and the Female Sexual Function Index. Results showed that participants with sexual dysfunction activated significantly more negative schemas when exposed to sexually unsuccessful situations compared to sexually healthy individuals (after controlling for the frequency of negative sexual events experienced by both groups). Most men and women with sexual difficulties interpreted negative sexual events according to an incompetence self-schema (I’m powerless, I’m incompetent, I’m a failure). These findings were congruent with recent research indicating the tendency shown by individuals with sexual dysfunction to give attributions of an internal, stable, and global nature to negative sexual experiences. Overall, results suggest specific faulty cognitive constructions underlying sexual dysfunctions and encourage the development of models and treatment approaches based on cognitive theory.

Validation of the Psychometric Properties of the Self-Compassion Scale. Testing the Factorial Validity and Factorial Invariance of the Measure among Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Eating Disorder and General Populations

BACKGROUND During the last years, there has been a growing interest in self-compassion. Empirical evidences show that self-compassion is associated with psychological benefits among young adults and it might be considered a buffer factor in several mental disorders. AIMS The aim of this study was to validate the psychometric properties of the Self-compassion Scale (SCS: Neff, 2003a) after the initial lack of replicating the original six-factor structure. METHOD Data were collected from the overall database of a research centre (56 men and 305 women; mean age = 25.19) and comprised four groups: borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorder and general population. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model (self-compassionate attitude versus self-critical attitude) with good internal consistencies, construct-related validity and external validity. Configural, weak measurement and structural invariance of the two-factor model of SCS were also shown. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the generalizability of the two-factor model and show that both properties and interpretations of scores on self-compassion are equivalent across these population groups. Copyright

Acceptance of pain, self-compassion and psychopathology: Using the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire to identify patients' subgroups

The present study explores whether specific subgroups of patients could be identified based on Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire scores. A battery of self-report questionnaire was used to assess acceptance of pain, self-compassion and psychopathology in 103 participants with chronic pain, from Portuguese health care units. K-Means cluster were performed and the results supported three subgroups of patients (low acceptance subgroup; high acceptance subgroup; intermediate subgroup with activity engagement near to the mean and low willingness to pain). One-way ANOVAs showed that the three subgroups identified differed significantly from each other on psychopathology and self-compassion. Results indicated that the intermediate subgroup presented less depression and stress, compared with the low acceptance subgroup. In what concerns self-compassion, the low acceptance subgroup reported higher self-judgment, isolation and over identification, compared with the intermediate subgroup. These subgroups also differed from each other in common humanity and mindfulness. Implications and clinical utility of the results were discussed, suggesting the increase of willingness to pain as an important key in chronic pain interventions. 

Evaluating the Multifactor Structure of the Long and Short Versions of the Self-Compassion Scale in a Clinical Sample

OBJECTIVE There has been a growing interest in the concept of self-compassion in Eastern psychology. The aim of the present study was to explore the dimensionality of the widely used Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; long and short versions) in both clinical and nonclinical samples METHOD Several confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were computed in a mixed clinical (n = 316) and a nonclinical sample (n = 1128) from the Portuguese population. Also, differences were tested between the groups in the SCS 6 factors. RESULTS The CFA supported both a 6-factor model and a hierarchical model in both samples. The SCS also showed good psychometric properties, with good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity. Our study further suggests that individuals with several psychopathological disorders showed significantly lower self-compassionate abilities. CONCLUSIONS The SCS (long and short versions) is thus a reliable instrument to assess self-compassion and is useful for research and, in particular, clinical practice.

Physical appearance as a measure of social ranking: The role of a new scale to understand the relationship between weight and dieting

This study presents the development of a new self-report instrument to assess how an individual perceives himself as social agent within his group having physical appearance as a reference, the Social Comparison through Physical Appearance Scale (SCPAS). This scale adds to the existent measures by assessing the social ranking based on ones physical appearance, and not the tendency to make comparisons of the general physical appearance or specific body parts. Its psychometric characteristics are investigated in a sample of 828 female participants from normal population. Principal components analysis was conducted for each part of the instrument: the Part A: peers shows a 2-factor structure (Attractiveness/Rank and Group Fit) explaining 72.142% of the variance; the Part B: models presents a one-dimensional structure that explains 69.191% of the variance. Findings show very good internal consistency coefficients and test-retest reliability. The two parts of the SCPAS are significantly associated to social comparison and shame measures, to anxiety, depression and stress indicators, and to eating disorders symptomatology. The scale discriminates between a clinical sample of 91 patients with an eating disorder and a non-clinical sample of 102 participants. Regression analyses pointed out that social comparison through physical appearance with peers and models partially mediates the effect of the dissatisfaction with current weight on disordered eating, namely drive for thinness.

Exploring Self-criticism: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the FSCRS in Clinical and Nonclinical Samples

The Forms of Self-criticizing/Attacking and Self-reassuring Scale (FSCRS) is a self-report questionnaire that assesses the forms of self-criticism and self-reassurance. The aim of this study was to explore the latent structure of the FSCRS in nonclinical and clinical samples. Data from 381 participants from the general population and from 304 participants from clinical settings were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses to explore several structural models reflecting alternative representations of the FSCRS dimensionality. Overall, the model with the best fit to the data, in both samples, was the three-factor model (inadequate self, hated self and reassured self subscales) replicating the FSCRS original structure. The scale showed good psychometric characteristics, and the three factors discriminated between the clinical and nonclinical samples. To our knowledge, this is the first study to confirm the factor structure of the FSCRS in a purely clinical sample, and to test alternative models. This study adds to the existent literature that has been supporting the conceptualization of self-criticism as a multidimensional construct. Given the good psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the FSCRS, its use is encouraged and recommended for the assessment of self-criticism in both clinical and research settings.