APPLICATION OF ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY AND COMPASSION-BASED INTERVENTIONS TO GENITO-PELVIC PAIN DISORDER/PENETRATION OR SEXUAL PAIN

A SCOPING REVIEW

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35919/rbsh.v36.1295

Keywords:

Acceptance, Psychological Flexibility, Compassion, Sexual Pain, Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder

Abstract

New insights into genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) highlight how close relationships can affect the symptoms, making them better or worse. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion-based interventions have emerged as promising approaches to treating GPPPD, yet their application in Brazil requires adaptation to local intersectional realities. This scoping review aimed to outline the characteristics of participants in studies about GPPPD/sexual pain, focusing on their relationships and social backgrounds. Six references on ACT and six on compassion-based interventions were extracted from the PsycInfo, Web of Science, Medline/PubMed, and Scopus databases. The results revealed samples predominantly composed of heterosexual and presumably cisgender women, in both stable and casual relationships, who were adults, white, without severe psychopathologies, and with internet access and higher education levels. This profile represents only a narrow segment of Brazil’s population, underscoring the need for cultural sensitivity when adapting such literature to local clinical practice. Additionally, only two studies on compassion looked at how partners are involved in both the analysis and data collection, showing how male partners (likely cisgender) can affect the role of self-compassion in GPPPD. This finding points to gaps in the literature regarding partner influences in ACT- and compassion-based treatment processes.

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Author Biographies

Bruna Gund, Universidade Federal do Paraná

Graduanda em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Pós-graduanda em Sexologia Aplicada pelo Instituto Paulista de Sexualidade e em Terapia Cognitiva Sexual pela Faculdade Focus. 

Ítor Finotelli Júnior, Universidade de Minnesota

Especialista na área da Sexualidade e Gênero pela Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Mestre e Doutor em Avaliação Psicológica pela Universidade São Francisco (USF) e Pós-Doutor em Sexualidade e Gênero pela Universidade de Minnesota (UMN). 

Fernanda Rafaela Cabral Bonato, Universidade Federal do Paraná

Doutora e Mestre em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Possui pós-graduação em Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental (PUCRS), Sexualidade Humana (FMUSP) e em Psicopedagogia (PUCPR). É Especialista em Sexualidade humana, com ênfase em terapia sexual (SBRASH). 

Jocelaine Martins da Silveira, Universidade Federal do Paraná

Doutora em Psicologia Clínica pela Universidade de São Paulo. Mestre em Psicologia Experimental pela Universidade de São Paulo. Especialista em Psicoterapia na Análise do Comportamento pela Universidade Estadual de Londrina. Atualmente, é professora associada da Universidade Federal do Paraná. Pós-doutorado na Universidade de Nevada-Reno. 

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Published

2025-12-15

How to Cite

Gund, B., Finotelli Júnior, Ítor, Bonato, F. R. C., & Silveira, J. M. da. (2025). APPLICATION OF ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY AND COMPASSION-BASED INTERVENTIONS TO GENITO-PELVIC PAIN DISORDER/PENETRATION OR SEXUAL PAIN: A SCOPING REVIEW. Revista Brasileira De Sexualidade Humana, 36, 1295 . https://doi.org/10.35919/rbsh.v36.1295

Issue

Vol. 36 (2025)

Section

Revisão Sistemática, Integrativa e de Escopo

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Copyright (c) 2025 Bruna Gund, Ítor Finotelli Júnior, Fernanda Rafaela Cabral Bonato, Jocelaine Martins da Silveira

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.