Online interventions for the treatment of sexual dysfunctions: systematic review and meta-analysis

The rise of virtual environments and telemedicine presents a promising new avenue for delivering therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness. Patients with sexual dysfunctions may significantly benefit from these online delivery models.

To assess the efficacy and applicability of online interventions in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions.

A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards using Scielo, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus. Eight studies were selected from an initial pool of 6665, and quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analysis used quantitative data with outcomes comparable in terms of means and standard deviations.

Quantitative improvements in sexual function and satisfaction across most of the included clinical trials.

Of the 961 total participants, the majority had been diagnosed with cancer. Therapies included CBT, psychoeducation, and support groups. The average intervention duration was 10 weeks, and most participants showed measurable improvement in sexual function.

Online interventions are highly beneficial, primarily due to increased accessibility. Since sexual therapy still carries a social stigma and is often unavailable in many regions, online tools represent a viable pathway to mitigating these barriers.

The number of available studies remains limited. Most existing research focuses on oncology patients; few studies include representative lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBT+) samples or compare traditional face-to-face therapy with online interventions.

Virtual techniques are effective for treating sexual dysfunctions, though further research is necessary to generalize these findings.