Metacognitive beliefs and sexual dissatisfaction in women: an explorative study in a non-clinical population

Background Sexual dissatisfaction is common among women and is frequently associated with cognitive processes that interfere with sexual experience. Metacognitive models highlight negative beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of thoughts as key mechanisms sustaining worry, yet their role in sexual dissatisfaction in non-clinical women remains underexplored.Objective This study examined associations between worry, metacognitive beliefs, and sexual dissatisfaction, testing whether negative metacognitive beliefs mediate the relationship between worry and sexual dissatisfaction.Methods The sample included 304 sexually active Italian-speaking women (M age = 31.96, SD = 9.01) who completed the Sexual Dissatisfaction subscale of the BISF-W, the MCQ-30, and the PSWQ. Correlation analyses, hierarchical regressions, and mediation analyses were conducted.Results Sexual dissatisfaction was positively associated with worry and metacognitive beliefs. Worry predicted sexual dissatisfaction, but this association became non-significant when negative metacognitive beliefs were included. A significant indirect effect of worry on sexual dissatisfaction through negative metacognitive beliefs emerged, while other metacognitive domains did not show consistent mediation effects.Conclusions Sexual dissatisfaction in non-clinical women appears primarily linked to negative metacognitive beliefs rather than worry itself, suggesting these beliefs as relevant targets for intervention.