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Publication
É a consciência emocional necessária para o efeito afrodisíaco da testosterona?
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
As investigações sobre a relação entre testosterona (T) e desejo sexual têm apresentado resultados inconclusivos, não sendo possível estabelecer, com certeza, uma correlação entre as duas variáveis. Partindo da teoria da dissociação, da alexitimia, e de resultados de investigações que se debruçaram sobre a dissociação entre resposta fisiológica e subjectiva propusemo-nos avaliar se a consciência emocional pode estar a mediar a relação entre T e desejo sexual. Dividimos uma amostra 65 de mulheres portuguesas, em idade reprodutora, pelo valor da mediana obtida no TAS-20, criando dois grupos com níveis diferentes de alexitimia. Foram recolhidas duas amostras de saliva, antes e depois do visionamento de um excerto de um diálogo romântico do filme “Antes do amanhecer”, para analisar os níveis basais de T e resposta hormonal ao estímulo. A dimensão de desejo Índice da Função Sexual Feminina foi utilizada para medir o desejo sexual das últimas quatro semanas. Foram calculadas correlações parciais, controlando idade e toma de contraceptivos orais, entre níveis de T e de desejo sexual. Os resultados demonstram correlações significativas no grupo menos alexitímico entre T e desejo sexual, enquanto no grupo com níveis mais elevados de alexitimia não se observaram correlações significativas. Estes resultados indicam que a consciência emocional, alterada na alexitimia, desempenha, nas mulheres, um papel importante no reconhecimento do desejo sexual. As implicações destes resultados no paradigma do tratamento das perturbações do desejo sexual feminino, mediante administração de T, são abordadas.
ABSTRACT: The association between sexual desire and testosterone (T) is yet to be unveiled. Research has presented mixed results, either with strong correlations in some studies and with null in others. Using the decoupling theory as a starting point, and supported by results of several investigations that observed the existence of a decoupling from hormonal to subjective responses, we proposed to evaluate if emotional awareness might be mediating this association, between T and sexual desire. Our sample of 65 Portuguese women was split in two by the median value obtained with TAS-20, creating two groups with different levels of alexithymia. Two salivary samples were collected, before and after of the experimental stimulus – an excerpt of a romantic dialogue from the movie “Before Sunrise”. We used the sexual desire dimension of the FSFI to measure sexual desire in the past month. Zero order and partial correlations were made between levels of T and sexual desire, controlling for age and hormonal contraceptive, in both groups. Results show correlations in the less alexithymic group, while in the more alexithymic group no significant correlation was found. These results indicate that emotional awareness, impaired in alexithymia, plays a major role identifying sexual desire in women. The implications of these results in the sexual desire dysfunctions treatment paradigm is approach, questioning if exogenous T administration therapy is adequate to all low sexual desire cases.
ABSTRACT: The association between sexual desire and testosterone (T) is yet to be unveiled. Research has presented mixed results, either with strong correlations in some studies and with null in others. Using the decoupling theory as a starting point, and supported by results of several investigations that observed the existence of a decoupling from hormonal to subjective responses, we proposed to evaluate if emotional awareness might be mediating this association, between T and sexual desire. Our sample of 65 Portuguese women was split in two by the median value obtained with TAS-20, creating two groups with different levels of alexithymia. Two salivary samples were collected, before and after of the experimental stimulus – an excerpt of a romantic dialogue from the movie “Before Sunrise”. We used the sexual desire dimension of the FSFI to measure sexual desire in the past month. Zero order and partial correlations were made between levels of T and sexual desire, controlling for age and hormonal contraceptive, in both groups. Results show correlations in the less alexithymic group, while in the more alexithymic group no significant correlation was found. These results indicate that emotional awareness, impaired in alexithymia, plays a major role identifying sexual desire in women. The implications of these results in the sexual desire dysfunctions treatment paradigm is approach, questioning if exogenous T administration therapy is adequate to all low sexual desire cases.
Description
Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto Universitário
Keywords
Desejo sexual feminino Alexitimia Testosterona Consciência emocional FSFI Female sexual desire Alexithymia Testosterone Emotional awareness