The aim of this study is to investigate whether women with FSDA and women without sexual problems can be trained with an AAT to perform more approach behaviour and less avoidance behaviour to sexual stimuli. The hypotheses which will be tested are (…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Sexual dysfunctions, disturbances and gender identity disorders
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The AAT will consist of a few practice trials, a pre-assessment, the training
and a post-assessment phase. The pre- and post-assessment are identical to each
other regarding to the number of trials and stimuli. By comparing the phases
one can evaluate the effect of the training. Subsequently, the participants
will see 3 brief soft-erotic movies, with the instruction to rate them on their
sexual arousing capacities. Participants can stop the movie themselves. The
time of starting and stopping the movie will be registered. Differences between
the conditions regarding to the lengths of watching the movie indicate that the
training did have an effect. Also, participants will be asked to report their
subjective sexual arousal after seeing the movies.
Next, participants will be asked to rate the pictures which were used in the
AAT on how sexual arousing and positive/negative they are. Thus, not only the
automatic and unconscious, but also the controlled and conscious responses to
the pictures will be measured.
Finally, 24 hours later the participants will receive an e-mail with a short
questionnaire to assess sexual activity to test whether the training affected
their sexual activity during the 24 hours after training.
Secondary outcome
not applicable
Background summary
Women with low sexual interest/arousal (DSM-V: Female Sexual Interest/Arousal
Disorder (FSAD)) feel more frustrated, concerned, unhappy, disappointed,
hopeless, troubled, ashamed, and bitter in comparison to women without sexual
dysfunctions. Prevailing treatment for FSAD consists of cognitive-behavioural
therapy, though there is limited empirical evidence for its efficacy. FSAD is
generally seen as a condition difficult to treat.
It is known that in the activation of sexual arousal and desire, both automatic
and controlled cognitive processes and action tendencies play a role. During
these automatic processes, people without sexual problems give a positive
meaning to sexual stimuli, resulting in the activation of sexual approach
tendencies and the experience of sexual desire. However, their are indications
that women with FSAD evaluate sexual stimuli in a less positive or more
negative manner, which impedes the development of sexual approach tendencies
and feelings of sexual desire.
Interestingly research has shown that automatic motivational processes can be
influenced by training of motor movements with a so-called approach-avoidance
task (AAT). Research on alcohol, cannabis and cigarette abuse, social phobia,
and obsessive-compulsive behaviour has shown that the AAT in which motor
movements in response to problem relevant stimuli are trained can have positive
effects to both unlearning of disfunctional behavior and learning of functional
behavior. For example, in studies in problematic drinkers and alcoholics it is
shown that training with the AAT to push alcohol stimuli away and to pull
neutral stimuli results in decreased approach tendencies towards alcohol and in
less alcohol consumption. In research in persons with obsessive-compulsive
behaviour it is observed that training with the AAT to make a pull movement to
aversive or feared stimuli results in less avoidance behavior and more approach
behavior towards these feared stimuli.
In the present study it will be investigated whether in women with FSAD
approach and avoidance tendencies towards sexual stimuli can be influenced by
an AAT.
Study objective
The aim of this study is to investigate whether women with FSDA and women
without sexual problems can be trained with an AAT to perform more approach
behaviour and less avoidance behaviour to sexual stimuli. The hypotheses which
will be tested are (1) women with FSAD differ from those without on their
controlled and automatic approach and avoidance tendencies towards sexual
stimuli, (2) training with the AAT leads to more approach behaviour and less
avoidance tendencies to sexual stimuli, (3) the AAT-training has a positive
effect on the extent to which women seek for sexual stimuli, as well as on the
degree of subjective sexual arousal and positive affect in response to sexual
stimuli, and (4) the training leads to more sexual activity during 24 hours
following the training itself.
Study design
Women with FSAD and women without sexual problems complete a computertask (the
AAT) en watch 3 brief erotic film excerpts. Half of the women with FSAD and
half of the women without sexual problems are trained in the computertask to
make a pull movement towards erotic stimuli. Before and after this training the
speed of pull and push movements in response to erotic and neutral stimuli is
measured. Also, following the task it is measured how long they watch the
erotic films, and to what extent they experience sexual arousal and postive
affect in response to these films.
Intervention
The intervention consists of the AAT (the computer task). During this task
erotic and neutral pictures are presented and based on the position of the
picture on the monitor the participant has to pull the picture towards herself
or pull it away from herself using a joystick. The reaction times are measured.
In the training phase of the task erotic pictures are more often combined with
the pull movement (approach).
Study burden and risks
As far as known there are no risks or adverse effects to be expected through
the AAT training or the research methods. The participant will be busy with the
study two hours in total (telephone screening: 15 min., visiting the LUMC:
questionnaires: 20 min., AAT: 30 min., seeing and rating the erotic movies: 25
min., explicitly rating the pictures: 10 min., short questionnaire afterwards:
10 min. and the exit-questionnaire: 10 min.).
The financial compensation for participants who finish the whole study will be
30 Euro. Participants who stop earlier will receive the financial compensation
according to the time they did participate in the study. In addition, travel
expenses will be reimbursed to a maximum of 40 Euro.
Albinusdreef 2 Postbus 9600
Leiden 2300 RC
NL
Albinusdreef 2 Postbus 9600
Leiden 2300 RC
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
between 18 and 45 years of age, presence of FSAD according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5, duration of current relationship > 6 months, heterosexual orientation because of heterosexual stimuli
Exclusion criteria
co-morbidity with other sexual disorders as dyspareunia and vaginismus, sexual disfunctions of the partner, use of medication which may influence the sexual respons, misuse of alcohol or drugs, severe psychopathology, pregnancy and/or breastfeeding, strong dissatisfcation with current relationship, severe psychosomatic problems/illness, insufficient command of the Dutch language
Design
Recruitment
metc-ldd@lumc.nl
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
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Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
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In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL46744.058.13 |