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Robin Masheb, PhD
Yale University
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy For Vulvodynia
Abstract: DESCRIPTION (adapted from the investigator's abstract):
The proposed study aims to benefit women with vulvodynia. This newly
identified women health problem may affect as many as 15 percent
of women who seek gynecological care, yet little attention is given
to this condition and it is frequently dismissed as psychosomatic.
In 1998, the National Institute of Health called for systematic
epidemiologic, etiologic, and therapeutic studies of vulvodynia.
The purpose of the present study is to address the need identified
by the NIH, and assess the efficacy of a psychosocial treatment
for vulvodynia. The primary aim of the present study is to evaluate
the efficacy of a well-established psychosocial intervention, i.e.
cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been shown to decrease pain
severity, disability, and affective distress for various chronic
pain conditions. The study will test the hypothesis that cognitive-behavioral
therapy, relative to supportive psychotherapy, will result in substantial
improvement in pain, severity, disability, and affective distress.
The proposed study is a randomized two-treatment condition CBT versus
supportive psychotherapy by three evaluation period (pretreatment,
post-treatment, and six-month follow-up), repeated measures, and
factorial design. Sixty participants with vulvodynia will be randomly
assigned to either CBT or Support for 10 weeks. Empirically supported
outcome measures will be used to assess pain severity, disability,
and affective distress. Medication and healthcare use, global improvement,
and sexual activity will also be measured. Research findings from
this study, in particular with the use of empirically supported
treatment outcome measures, may serve as background for the planning
of larger comparative studies. Clinically, results from this study
may provide a justified treatment option for women with vulvodynia.
back to NIH Funding
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