Assessment of anxiety, depression and somatization in women with vulvodynia: a systematic review and META-analysis
Abstract
Objective To assess the presence of anxiety, depression and somatization in women with vulvodynia.Methods The search for articles was performed in the electronic databases MEDLINE, via PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS and the American Psychological Association (PsycINFO). A search strategy was developed using the following terms: "Vulvodynia" and "psychological symptom" and their respective synonyms. The search was limited to human studies and no language restriction.Results After the screening process, 10 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The studies were published between 1993 and 2017, with 2886 participants, of which 912 are cases and 1974 are controls. Meta-analysis of included studies revealed a significant difference between groups in depression outcomes (DMP: 0.75; 95 % CI: 0.41 to 1.10; p < 0.0001; I2: 28 %), anxiety (DMP: 1.22; 95 % CI: 0.84 to 1.59; p < 0.00001; I2:0%) and somatization (DMP: 1.31; 95%CI: 0.80 to 1.82; p < 0.00001; I2: 46 %).Conclusion Through the meta-analyses, significant associations were observed between vulvodynia and depression, anxiety and somatization.
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Provoked vulvodynia is associated with other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
“Provoked vulvodynia is associated with other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depressive symptoms. 5,8,9”
From Internet-based treatment for provoked vulvodynia: Factors associated with treatment outcomes (2025) · cites this paper as [8]
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- Authors
- Dagostin Ferraz, S., Rodrigues Candido, A. C., Rodrigues Uggioni, M. L., Colonetti, T., Santina Dagostin, V., & Rosa, M. I.
- Affiliations
- Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (BR)
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-01
- Volume
- 344
- Pages
- 122-131
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4387538406
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9
- FWCI
- 1.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- vulvodynia, anxiety, depression, somatization, psychological symptoms, women, chronic pain
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Female, Humans, Vulvodynia
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