Vulvovaginal Pain Experiences: Race and Healthcare Seeking

"Vulvovaginal Pain Experiences: Race and Healthcare Seeking" was an exploratory cross sectional survey designed to explore the experiences of people of color with chronic vulvovaginal pain (CVVP) related to the quality and intensity of their pain in various contexts, the effect of their CVVP on general sexual function, the effect of their CVVP on their relationships, their experiences managing a chronic pain condition, their experiences attempting to seek treatment, and their perceptions of medical mistrust. The survey included both ad hoc items and validated psychometric measures, including the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised, the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire 8-Item, and the Group Based Medical Mistrust Scale (GBMMS). A primary goal of this study was to better understand the experiences of people of color with CVVP, defined as any person who identifies as a race and/or ethnicity other than White non-Hispanic/Latinx. Additionally, this study aimed to examine associations between perceptions of medical mistrust measured via the GBMMS and healthcare seeking outcomes related to diagnostic delay.