Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is an incurable skin condition that causes pain, itching, and burning sensations at the vulva (i.e., external genitals, like the labia and clitoris). Individuals with VLS often experience challenges in their sex lives, like low sexual desire and satisfaction as well as high emotional distress. Plus, their partners stand to experience consequences to their sexual health too. As sexual health plays a key role in maintaining overall quality of life, it is essential to investigate potential treatments that can improve sexual health for individuals with VLS and their partners. I propose to investigate sexual script flexibility (i.e., an individual's comfort with and ability to diverge from their typical sexual routine when sexual problems arise) as a potential treatment target. In my CIHR-funded MSc thesis, I am currently examining links between sexual script flexibility and three key sexual health outcomes (sexual function, sexual satisfaction, and sexual distress) for couples coping with VLS. My proposed PhD research will build upon my master's research in two ways. (1) I will assess the links between sexual script flexibility and sexual health outcomes over time by examining the relationship between baseline levels of sexual script flexibility and sexual health outcomes measured 3-months and 6-months later. (2) I will create a short educational intervention that informs participants about the benefits of sexual script flexibility and encourages the use of strategies to increase sexual script flexibility in daily life. I will then test whether couples coping with VLS who receive the intervention experience a boost in positive sexual health outcomes compared to those who do not use the intervention. This research will inform the development of sexual health treatments that can be offered to VLS patients seeking to improve their sexual health and quality of life.