Vulvodynia: Research Challenges and Treatment Recommendations
Co-authored by Lida Abdulrahman and Kat Merwin This blog is a summary of our published article: Corsini-Munt, S., Rancourt, K., Dubé, J., Rossi, M., & Rosen, N. O. (2017). Vulvodynia: A consideration of clinical and methodological research challenges and recommended solutions. The Journal of Pain Research, 10, 2425-2436. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S126259 What is vulvodynia? Vulvodynia is […]
How is sexual health attained and maintained?
By Justin Dubé Though I’d like to think the studies I run facilitate sexual health, translating research into practice can take a loooong time (17 years!) [1]. Also, people generally want to manage their sexual health by speaking with a clinician [2, 3]. Clinicians, however, often feel ill-equipped to navigate these conversations due to gaps […]
Returning to Sex: Women’s Experiences with Their Postpartum Sexuality
by Heather Oliveira Have you or your partner recently had a baby? Are you or your partner pregnant? Are you curious about how becoming a parent will change your sex life? Postpartum sex is something that many women have difficulty with; studies show that self-esteem, confidence, and exhaustion make returning to sex challenging (2,3). A […]
Single, but not down to mingle: The psychology behind long-term singlehood
by Meghan Rossi For many, being in a romantic relationship cultivates meaning, happiness, and a sense of belonging (Fletcher et al., 2015; Sedikides et al., 1994). For people without social connections, which would include a romantic partner, we see increased negative emotions, disease, and higher mortality (House et al., 1988; Cohen et al., 1997). However, […]
Am I digisexual?
by Sam Dawson At the most recent meeting of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research (see https://sstarnet.org) Dr. Markie Twist gave a fascinating plenary on digisexuality, based on a recent article entitled: The rise of digisexuality: Therapeutic challenges and possibilities (McArthur & Twist, 2017). So, what is digisexuality and could this apply to you? […]
To post-doc or not to post-doc? A blog post about deciding to post-doc following a Clinical Psychology PhD
by Serena Corsini-Munt A quick Google search will bring up several (even dozens) of articles and blog posts tackling the decision of whether or not to embark on a post-doctoral fellowship – see the links below. But what makes this post different is my unique perspective and consideration of the benefits and potential drawbacks of […]
What is dyadic research, and why is it so important?
By Megan Muise As the name of our lab suggests, the majority of our research focuses on couples. We collect and analyze data from both members of the couple, which is often referred to as dyadic research. Dyadic research is important because it allows us to examine the influence one partner’s responses have on the […]
Couple Sex Therapy versus Group Therapy for Women with Genito-pelvic Pain
Co-authored by Elyse Burchill and Kat Merwin This post is a summary of our published article: Bergeron, S., Merwin, K. E., Dubé, J., & Rosen, N. O. (2018). Couple sex therapy versus group therapy for women with genito-pelvic pain. Current Sexual Health Reports, 10, 79-87. doi:10.1007/s11930-018-0154-5 Pain during sex: While it is not uncommon for women to experience pain […]
Becoming Four (Or More!): Consensual Non-Monogamy and Parenthood
Photo Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-passion-paradox/201208/what-are-peoples-perceptions-open-relationships By: Meghan Rossi One of the main research programs in the Couples and Sexual Health Laboratory is exploring how new parents manage changes to their romantic and sexual relationship when they first become parents. We know that this period is full of both excitement and challenges for couples (see blog posts 1, […]
Page Turner! Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy by Hallie Lieberman
A brief book review by Kat Merwin The book: Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy Author: Hallie Lieberman, Ph.D. I like to think of myself as relatively knowledgeable about sex researchers—especially those who also write books on the topic—yet I hadn’t heard of Hallie Lieberman prior to reading this book. After reading this […]
