Does marital therapy enhance the effectiveness of treatment for sexual dysfunction?

A controlled treatment trial was conducted with couples in which the woman suffered from secondary forms of sexual dysfunction. To test whether marital therapy is helpful in enhancing the effectiveness of symptom-specific therapy for sexual dysfunction, two treatment conditions were compared to a waiting list control group. All couples received 12 sessions of therapy directed to the sexual symptom. One half of the couples received nine sessions of relaxation and information before sex therapy, and the other half, nine sessions of marital therapy before sex therapy. Whereas both treatment conditions showed clinical and statistical improvement at termination and follow-up, treatment gains were more pronounced and more comprehensive for the couples who received the combination of marital and sex therapy. Generalization from marital therapy to sexual functioning was greater than generalization from sex therapy to marital adaptation.