Conceptual suggestions for outcome research in sex therapy

This paper makes two basic conceptual suggestions that may encourage more meaningful studies of the effectiveness of sex therapy: (1) Dysfunctions consist of deficits of one or more of the basic components of sexual life: desire, arousal, orgasm, emotional satisfaction. (2) There are three distinct perspectives for determining therapeutic success--(a) reversal of the target component deficit, (b) absence of all of an individual's component deficits, and (c) absence of all component deficits in both partners. Follow-up data should be classified according to each perspective and presented separately. The "cure" rates diminish as the criteria for success become more stringent--i.e., moving from the first to the third perspective. The use of these perspectives highlights the strengths and limitations of current treatment techniques.