Clinical outcome of sex therapy. Effects of daily v weekly treatment.

The effectiveness of sex therapy has been questioned recently. The present outcome study of 69 lower-middle-class couples, who were not highly selected with respect to severity of personal and marital distress, used standardized instruments to measure change over five time periods: intake, history, posttherapy, three-month, and one-year follow-up. Using an own-control design, a 15-session weekly treatment was compared with a 15-session daily treatment. Overall, treatment was successful in improving sexual and marital satisfaction as well as specific symptom remission; there was little decline at the three-month and one-year follow-ups. The least symptomatic improvement occurred for erectile problems and female secondary inorgasmic dysfunction, and there was some suggestion of a gradual nonsignificant decline of overall sexual and marital satisfaction at follow-up. The outcome of daily v weekly treatment was generally not different, with only some indication of better results for secondary inorgasmia and erectile failure when treated in the weekly mode.