1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The overall goal of this study was to enhance our understanding of the role of sexual issues in relationship therapy provided by couple therapists who are not specifically sex therapists. [The] first goal was to establish a portrait of the different sexual issues experienced by couples who seek relationship therapy and to see if there are gender differences in the prevalence of theses issues. [The] second goal was to increase knowledge of the different sexuality-related therapeutic goals pursued by therapists and to examine the concordance between these sexuality-related goals and a) the sexual issues qualitatively reported by the couples and b) partners’ scores on quantitative measures of sexual satisfaction and function.» (p. 4)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«Specifically, [the authors] investigated what sexual issues are reported most and least often by couples seeking relationship therapy (RQ1) and if there are any gender differences in these sexual issues (RQ2). [They] also examined what percentage of couples had sexuality as one of the main therapeutic goals set by their therapist when sexual issues were reported by one or both partners (RQ3) and what sexuality-related therapeutic goals are reported most and least often by relationship therapists (RQ4). [The authors] then examined whether therapists are more likely to pursue a sexuality-related therapeutic goal when one or both partners report a sexual issue (RQ5). Finally, [they] explored whether there is an association between the sexual issue reported by the partners and the likelihood of their therapist pursuing a sexuality-related goal that specifically addresses this issue (RQ6) and whether there is an association between partners’ scores on standardized measures of sexual satisfaction and sexual function and the likelihood of their therapist pursuing a sexuality-related therapeutic goal (RQ7).» (p. 4)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This study was part of a larger research project examining the characteristics of couples seeking relationship therapy in a natural setting at a private relationship therapy clinic. Results from this study were derived from secondary analyses of an existing database from this research project. […] The sample included 169 couples, including 1 couple for whom only data from one partner was available. The sample contained 168 mixed-gender (man/woman) couples and 1 same-gender couple (woman/woman). […] The sample also included eight licensed psychologists and two clinical psychology pre-doctoral interns.» (p. 5)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The «results show that in almost half of the couples seeking relationship therapy, at least one of the two partners reported a sexual issue as one of the main difficulties of their romantic relationship. This high prevalence suggests that sexual issues are common among couples who experience relationship difficulties and for many of them, it even justifies them seeking relationship therapy. It is therefore important for relationship therapists to consider these issues, which are perceived to be severe and to be a source of relational distress for these couples. [The authors] also found that two sexual issues reported by couples attending relationship therapy were especially common: the frequency of sexual activity and problems in sexual desire.» (p. 9-10) The results also show that «when couples reported the frequency of sexual activity and sexual desire as an issue, their therapist were more likely to pursue a therapeutic goal that specifically addressed these specific issues. However, couples reporting sexual incompatibility as an issue was not significantly associated with their therapist targeting this specific sexual issue.» (p. 12)