The effectiveness of interventions for sexual dysfunctions

Abstract

Attempting to review the outcome literature concerning the effectiveness of cognitive and/or behavioural treatments of psychosexual dysfunctions is a frustrating task. The evidence available is fraught with methodological limitations and it is extremely difficult to draw any firm conclusions. The majority of studies suffer from a variety of methodological problems. These include:

• Small subject numbers;

• Absence of experimental control groups (e.g. waiting list/ no-treatment/attention placebo controls);

• Lack of random allocation to conditions;

• No clear-cut definitions of diagnostic criteria to permit replication;

• Absence of, or inadequate duration of, long-term follow-up;

• Inadequate outcome measures, in terms of specific target behaviours and general indices of the sexual and marital relationship;

• Inclusion of a mixture of different types of psychosexual dysfunctions, thereby limiting the conclusions that can be drawn regarding effectiveness of treatment with a specific diagnostic group;

• Inadequate description of therapy methods used.