Are Digital Interventions the Next Frontier in Sex Therapy? A Mixed Methods Study Examining Attitudes toward Digital Sex Therapy

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics for study 2 participants.

Demographic Variable	Survey Participants
Age	M = 38.69
	SD = 13.09
	Range = 18–77
Relationship length (years; n = 222)	M = 13.22
	SD = 10.64
	Range = 0.33–50.92
	N	%
Gender
Woman	163	48.8
Man	169	50.6
Other	1	0.3
Prefer not to say	1	0.3
Transgender
Yes	3	0.9
No	327	97.9
Prefer not to say	4	1.2
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual	290	86.8
Lesbian/gay	10	3.0
Bisexual	29	8.7
Other	4	1.2
Relationship status
Single	92	27.5
Dating	20	6.0
In a committed relationship	64	19.2
Cohabiting	40	12.0
Married	118	35.3
Consensually non-monogamous
Yes	6	1.8
No	311	93.1
Children
Yes	155	46.4
No	179	53.6
Ethnicity
White	295	88.3
Black	12	3.6
Mixed	7	2.1
Other	18	5.4
Country
UK	324	97.0
USA	9	2.7
Education
Middle school/secondary school	13	3.9
Some high school/secondary school	19	5.7
Graduated high school/A-levels	53	15.9
Some college/university	52	15.6
Undergraduate degree	135	40.4
Postgraduate degree (master’s and/or PhD)	59	17.7
Other	7	2.1
Employment status
Employed full-time	187	56.0
Employed part-time	59	17.7
Unemployed	25	7.5
Retired	24	7.2
Self-employed	24	7.2
Student	7	2.1
Other	7	2.1
Distressing sexual problems past 12 months
Yes	38	11.4
No	292	87.4
Ever attended therapy
Yes	66	19.8
No	267	79.9
Ever sought help for sexual problems
Yes	20	6.0
No	329	93.7
Previously used a sex therapy app
Yes	4	1.2
No	329	98.5

Note. Some of the percentages do not add up to 100% due to missing data.

Table 2. Results for participants’ attitudes in study 2.

Item #	Scale item	Mean (SD)	Median
	Full scale (α = .83)	3.35 (0.48)	3
1.	Digital sex therapy is modern and in line with our modern times.	4.15 (0.75)	4
2.	Digital sex therapy will replace conventional face-to-face sex therapy in the future.	3.15 (1.06)	3
3.	Digital sex therapy is more compatible with work and private life than conventional face-to-face sex therapy.	3.83 (0.86)	4
4.	It makes no difference to me whether sex therapy is conducted through the internet or in a sex therapy practice in a clinic.	3.14 (1.11)	3
5.	Digital sex therapy will reach more individuals with sexual problems.	4.18 (0.78)	4
6.	Health insurance companies should cover the costs for digital sex therapy.	3.34 (1.11)	3
7.	Digital sex therapy programs are as effective as conventional face-to-face sex therapy.	3.21 (0.83)	3
8.	Trust in a sex therapist can be just as easily built on the internet as in conventional face-to-face sex therapy.	3.14 (1.08)	3
9.	In case of sexual problems, I would attend digital sex therapy.	3.27 (1.05)	3
10.	I would prefer digital sex therapy to a conventional face-to-face sex therapy.	3.37 (1.11)	3
11.	Digital sex therapy will reach more patients and help them.	4.07 (0.77)	4
12.	I’m not particularly worried about data security in digital sex therapy.	2.50 (1.17)	2
13.	The anonymity in digital sex therapy decreases the threshold to speak openly and honestly about important issues.	3.36 (1.07)	4
14.	Through the dissemination of digital sex therapy, persons will get professional help earlier.	3.82 (0.76)	4
15.	Misunderstandings occur in digital sex therapy as often as in conventional sex therapy.	3.44 (0.82)	3
16.	Digital sex therapy is suitable for most patients, regardless of their personal background (age, sex, education, etc).	3.86 (0.87)	4
17.	Digital sex therapy is an appropriate alternative to conventional face-to-face sex therapy.	3.86 (0.87)	4