Evaluating Sexual Psychoeducation in Couples With Sexual Desire Discrepancy
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
University of British Columbia
216 participants
Jan 1, 2026
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
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.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria11
- 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.
Exclusion Criteria3
- 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.
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Interventions
Couples in the STEP-T group will meet online with a therapist for 120 minutes once a week over 8 weeks. Each meeting consists of a therapist-led session focused on the psychoeducational content from the STEP module. Sessions begin with a review of the homework completed during the previous week and end with the assignment of new sex therapy homework related to that day's session. After each session, the therapist will email the couple the module that includes the session's psychoeducational handouts and the sex therapy homework to be completed prior to the next session.
Couples in the STEP-NT group will receive STEP (i.e., one module per week for 8 weeks, including psychoeducational handouts and sex therapy homework), without the therapist-led online sessions. However, like couples in STEP-T, they will be allowed to contact the research team for clarifications related to the structure, instructions, or technical aspects of the exercises. This support will be limited to non-clinical guidance and will not involve any individualized feedback regarding participants' personal experiences or relationship dynamics.
While couples randomized to STEP-T and STEP-NT will complete one online baseline assessment battery before randomization, those assigned to the waitlist control condition will complete two baseline assessments online, spaced 10 weeks apart, before being randomized to one of the active treatment groups (i.e., STEP-T or STEP-NT). The 10-week waiting period was selected to match the time it takes couples to complete the 8 modules of STEP. This design allows us to determine that improvements in clinical outcomes are due to the STEP intervention rather than the mere passage of time. Following the post-waiting period assessment (i.e., the second baseline battery), waitlist participants will be randomized to STEP-T or STEP-NT.
Locations(2)
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NCT07203417