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Evaluating Sexual Psychoeducation in Couples With Sexual Desire Discrepancy

NCT07203417 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 216

Last updated 2026-01-05

No results posted yet for this study

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.

Conditions

  • Sexual Desire

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

STEP-NT

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.

OTHER

Waitlist

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.

BEHAVIORAL

STEP-T

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of British Columbia

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Lori A Brotto · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
19 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-01-01
Primary Completion
2027-04-30
Completion
2027-12-31

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07203417 on ClinicalTrials.gov