Feasibility of a cognitive behavioral online intervention for women with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder

Abstract

Difficulties with sexual desire and arousal are common in women, but most lack access to effective treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). eSense is a recently created online CBT intervention for sexual difficulties with promising evidence of usability. The current study assessed the feasibility of women completing the full eSense CBT program without guidance. Eleven women with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder completed eSense and provided feedback via semi-structured interviews. Participants reported high satisfaction with eSense's functionality, improved knowledge about sexuality, greater awareness of their thought patterns, and better perspective around their sexual difficulties. Despite some difficulty completing homework, participants exhibited statistically significant pre-post improvements in sexual desire (d = 1.04), sexual arousal (d = 1.83), sexual satisfaction (d = 1.35), and sexual distress (d = 1.79). The findings add to the growing evidence that self-guided online interventions are feasible and potentially efficacious in treating female sexual dysfunction.