A Randomized Trial Comparing a Sex Education and Therapy Online Intervention Delivered With and Without Professional Guidance for the Treatment of Sexual Desire Discrepancy in Couples
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 入组人数
- 216
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- A change in relational sexual distress
研究概览
简要总结
Sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) occurs when partners have different levels of sexual desire and are distressed by it. It is one of the most common reasons couples seek help, but no proven dyadic treatment currently exists. This study will test STEP, an online program designed to support couples with SDD. The investigators will compare two formats of STEP: one with therapist support and one self-guided, against a waitlist control group. The investigators will also assess how satisfied couples are and how they engage with the two online formats. This study will generate new data on how effective STEP is with and without guidance, and inform treatment guidelines.
详细描述
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week online intervention (STEP) designed to reduce distress related to SDD in couples. Two formats of the intervention will be tested: a therapist-guided version (STEP-T) and a self-guided version (STEP-NT). Couples will be randomly assigned to one of these formats or to a waitlist control group.
The study will assess whether both versions of STEP reduce SDD and associated distress, and whether improvements are maintained over a 6-month follow-up. The investigators will also examine participants' satisfaction with the program, engagement, and retention rates.
In addition, the investigators will explore the psychological factors (e.g., quality of sexual communication, emotional intimacy, interoceptive awareness, and self-compassion) that may explain how the intervention works, as well as whether its effectiveness varies based on relationship duration and participants' perceptions of the treatment's credibility.
Finally, the study will gather exploratory information about potential contributing factors to SDD and how couples experience desire-related challenges, using structured worksheets.
The investigators hypothesize that: a) Both STEP-T (therapist-guided) and STEP-NT (self-guided) will significantly reduce sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) and related distress, compared to a waitlist control group; b) Participants in both intervention groups will show improvements in sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and sexual pleasure; c) These improvements will be maintained at 6-month follow-up; d) STEP-T will produce greater improvements than STEP-NT; e) Participants will report moderate to high satisfaction, consistent homework engagement, and retention rates above 70%, with higher engagement expected in the STEP-T group; f) Increases in interoceptive awareness, emotional intimacy, and sexual communication will predict improvements in SDD and distress. Improvements in self-compassion will predict reduced distress; g) Longer relationship duration and higher perceived treatment credibility will be associated with better outcomes.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Treatment
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 19 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Be a couple;
- •Be in a romantic relationship for at least one year;
- •Be 19 years of age or older;
- •Experience perceived and/or actual SDD with personal and/or relational distress reported by at least one partner;
- •Be fluent in English;
- •Be willing to participate in 8 weekly online treatment sessions;
- •For couples in long-distance relationships, be able to meet the partner in person and via video call to complete the couple's homework;
- •Be willing to abstain from starting any new treatment for SDD for the duration of the study;
- •Be willing to voluntarily complete questionnaires administered before, during, and after the treatment;
- •Have access to an electronic device capable of running Zoom platform (if randomized to STEP-T);
- •Have a stable internet connection.
排除标准
- •Cases where the discrepancy is attributable to at least one partner identifying as asexual (asexuality is not considered a sexual dysfunction; APA, 2013);
- •Presence of untreated psychiatric conditions at the time of recruitment (e.g., depression) that would interfere with participating in the treatment and homework;
- •Receive dyadic psychosexual treatment for SDD elsewhere during the study period.
结局指标
主要结局
A change in relational sexual distress
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
Relational sexual distress will be measured using the 6-item Relational Concern subscale of the 30-item Sexual Satisfaction Scale (SSS; Meston \& Trapnell, 2005).
A change in personal sexual distress
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
Personal sexual distress will be measured using the 13-item Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (female version: FSDS-R; Derogatis et al., 2008; male version: Santos-Iglesias et al., 2018).
A change in perceived sexual desire discrepancy
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
Perceived sexual desire discrepancy will be measured by asking participants questions on their personal desire and their personal perception of partner's desire. Personal desire will be assessed by the 7-item Partner-related sexual desire subscale of the 13-item SDI-2 (Castro-Calvo et al., 2024). The personal perception of partner's desire will be measured by adapting the original version of SDI-2. SDD will be calculated by doing the absolute difference between one's personal desire and the personal perception of partner's desire scores.
A change in actual sexual desire discrepancy
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
The actual sexual desire discrepancy will be measured by calculating the absolute difference between both partners' personal desire scores. Personal desire will be assessed by the 7-item Partner-related sexual desire subscale of the 13-item SDI-2 (Castro-Calvo et al., 2024).
A change in relational sexual distress
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
Relational sexual distress will be measured using the 6-item Relational Concern subscale of the 30-item Sexual Satisfaction Scale (SSS; Meston \& Trapnell, 2005).
A change in personal sexual distress
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
Personal sexual distress will be measured using the 13-item Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (female version: FSDS-R; Derogatis et al., 2008; male version: Santos-Iglesias et al., 2018).
A change in perceived sexual desire discrepancy
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
Perceived sexual desire discrepancy will be measured by asking participants questions on their personal desire and their personal perception of partner's desire. Personal desire will be assessed by the 7-item Partner-related sexual desire subscale of the 13-item SDI-2 (Castro-Calvo et al., 2024). The personal perception of partner's desire will be measured by adapting the original version of SDI-2. SDD will be calculated by doing the absolute difference between one's personal desire and the personal perception of partner's desire scores.
A change in actual sexual desire discrepancy
时间窗: At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion; T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).
The actual sexual desire discrepancy will be measured by calculating the absolute difference between both partners' personal desire scores. Personal desire will be assessed by the 7-item Partner-related sexual desire subscale of the 13-item SDI-2 (Castro-Calvo et al., 2024).
次要结局
- A change in sexual satisfaction(At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).)
- A change in relational satisfaction(At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).)
- A change in sexual pleasure(At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).)
- Treatment satisfaction(At post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2).)
- A change in sexual satisfaction(At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).)
- A change in relational satisfaction(At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).)
- A change in sexual pleasure(At baseline (T1), post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3).)
- Treatment satisfaction(At post-treatment (2-4 weeks after STEP completion, T2).)
研究者
Lori Brotto
Professor
University of British Columbia