An Evaluation of a Treatment Package Designed for Women with a History of Sexual Victimization in Childhood and Sexual Dysfunctions in Adulthood

Abstract

This study systematically evaluated the effectiveness of a treatment package developed for women who had been sexually victimized in childhood or adolescence and who were experiencing sexual dysfunctions in adulthood that they attributed to these earlier experiences. The treatment package consisted of three components: (a) relaxation training, (b) cognitive restructuring of the women's erroneous beliefs about sexual victimization, and (c) treatment of the sexual dysfunctions. A multiple-baseline across-subjects design was utilized (Hersen & Barlow, 1976). Participants included five women and their partners who voluntarily sought therapy from the Psychological Services Centre, University of Manitoba. Repeated measures were collected at specific intervals through the treatment and at follow-up using interview data and several standardized questionnaires. The results indicated the treatment package was successful in assisting the women in the study to achieve the first two goals of therapy: (a) to modify the woman's erroneous beliefs about sexual victimization, particularly those beliefs related to psychosexual functioning, and (b) to increase the woman's sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction. The treatment package intervention had only limited success in assisting the couple to achieve sexual satisfaction. Reasons for this may relate to (a) the women's reported increased sense of self-worth and self-confidence following the cognitive restructuring, (b) subsequent demands by the women for a more egalitarian sexual relationship, and (c) the incorrect assumption that partners were prepared to assist the women in achieving overall sexual satisfaction.