Questionnaire of Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Context: A Measure to Assess Cognitive Schemas Activated in Unsuccessful Sexual Situations (Report‪)‬

Recently, some authors have emphasized the importance of cognitive-affective factors in human sexual response (Andersen, Cyranowski, & Espindle, 1999; Baker, 1993; Barlow, 1986; Carey, Wincze, & Meisler, 1993; Hawton, 1985, 1989; McCarthy, 1989, 1992; Nobre & Pinto-Gouveia, 2000a, 2006a, 2006b; Rosen, Leiblum, & Spector, 1994; Sbrocco & Barlow, 1996; Zilbergeld, 1992, 1999), and have developed new conceptual models and therapeutic techniques based on this perspective. Most empirical studies in this field have been focused on specific cognitive constructs such as cognitive distraction (Beck, Barlow, Sakheim, & Abrahamson, 1987; Dove & Wiederman, 2000; Elliot & O'Donohue, 1997; Farkas, Sine, & Evans, 1979; Geer & Fuhr, 1976; Przybyla & Byrne, 1984), efficacy expectancies (Bach, Brown, & Barlow, 1999; Creti & Libman, 1989; Palace, 1995), causal attributions (Fichten, Spector, & Libman, 1988; Weisberg, Brown, Wincze, & Barlow, 2001), or perfectionism (DiBartolo & Barlow, 1996). However, despite the results supporting the importance of these cognitive variables on sexual response, there is a lack of integrated work about the role of core cognitive structures. Specifically, the role of cognitive schemas in the onset and maintenance of sexual dysfunction has received little attention by the scientific community. One exception is the research conducted by Anderson and colleagues (Andersen & Cyranowski, 1994; Andersen et al., 1999), who developed an instrument to assess sexual self-schemas. However, the concept studied by Andersen and colleagues (Andersen & Cyranowski, 1994; Andersen et al., 1999) is specifically related to a particular aspect of self-schema (one's self-view regarding sexuality) and does not cover more general beliefs about one's self (self-schemas) usually conceptualized as playing a major role in the development of psychopathological states.