Abstract
Sexual anxiety is one of the root causes of female sexual dysfunction (Pyke, 2020). Increased anxiety during sexual intercourse can cause women to avoid sexual activity altogether (Gerrier et al., 2015; Sanoff, 2016), experience reduced sexual satisfaction (Brassard et al., 2015), and lead to sexual difficulties such as anorgasmia, lack of arousal, and lack of sexual desire (McCabe, 2005). However, little is known about sexual anxiety beyond the narrow White male-focused quantitative research on sexual performance anxiety. Research fails to account for intersecting sociocultural oppression Black women face that may precipitate anxiety within a sexual context. For Black women, who experience sexual stereotypes about their sexual prowess (Collins, 2000), pressures to conform Eurocentric body standards (Awad et al., 2015), and reproductive health disparities that often precipitate sexual pain (Eltoukhi et al., 2014), examining sexual anxiety requires an intersectional lens, from onset to treatment (Hargons et al., 2022).
To counter the deficit-based narratives of Black women’s sexualities this study takes an intersectional approach and is rooted in Black feminist perspectives to center the voices of Black women in sex science and advance the research on Black women’s sexuality through a holistic lens. The purpose of this study is to understand Black women’s experiences of sexual anxiety using a phenomenological approach. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature by being the first study to our knowledge to 1) explore Black women’s experiences of sexual anxiety, including their self-reported precipitants and coping strategies, and 2) develop a working definition of sexual anxiety for Black women that capture the nuances of this phenomenon among them.
Data comes from Phase 2 of a larger explanatory mixed methods study on Black women’s sexual pain and sexual pleasure. To be eligible for Phase 1, participants had to be 1) premenopausal, 2) under the age of 50, 4) identify as a cisgender Black woman, and 5) live in the Southern region of the US. N=24 Participants completed a 60-min Zoom interview in April 2021. Interview data was analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Participants reported three components of sexual anxiety as a phenomenon: 1) causes of sexual anxiety, 2) characteristics of sexual anxiety, and 3) coping strategies (see Figure 1). Causes of sexual anxiety contained five elements: partner unfamiliarity, oppressive body standards, rape culture and fears of sexual violence, pressure to meet societal sexual expectations, and anticipation of sexual pain. Characteristics of sexual anxiety included elements such as somatic, emotional, and cognitive symptoms and resultant behaviors. Coping strategies ranged from individual-level strategies to partnered coping strategies. Additionally, we composed a working description of sexual anxiety based on participant responses which account for sociocultural factors distinct for Black women.
This study highlights the importance of investigating, preventing, and treating barriers that exacerbate sexual difficulties, such as sexual anxiety, so Black women can engage in pleasurable sex and feel safe, mentally present, and confident during sexual experiences. Implications for intersectionality-informed interventions and suggestions for mental health professionals and partners will be discussed.
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