TABLE 4.

Thematic and conceptual results of women’s written comments on the Treatment Helpfulness Questionnaire

Category
Subcategory (exemplar data)
Pain impact
“Frequency, comfort, desire”
“Now have very clear understanding”
“Pain was not a big problem”
Strategies
“This (sensate focus) was most beneficial part of the group”
“I have been focusing on this (pelvic floor muscle exercises)”
“I am now aware of the role of relaxation”
“This (managing pain) is by far the most beneficial aspect”
Readiness for change
“We are still working on (sensate focus)”
“Hadn’t really thought about it before”
“Need to make exercises a higher priority”
“Had a good idea before I came into the group”
Communication and partner involvement
“Learning many ways of communicating”
“Better connection”
“Material helpful to share”
“Noticed improvements”
“Partner unfortunately dismissed”
Cognitive shift
“Eye opener”
“Working toward a broader view”
“Still sucked into society’s definition”
“Opened up a ton of new possibilities”
Self view
“Not very different from other women”
“More comfortable with myself”
“More capable”
Group experience
“Supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere”
“No problem opening up”
“Nice to hear others’ experiences”
“Beneficial”
“Thank you!”
“Keep going”
Suggestions
“Extend length of group”
“Group was too small”
“References and reading material on-line”
“Info session with partner”