Effectiveness Controlled Study of an Online Group Treatment Program for Cybersex Addiction /Online Sexual Compulsivity

Controlled Study on the Effectiveness of an Online Group Treatment Intervention Program for Cybersex Addiction / Online Sexual Compulsivity: Comparison With an Individual Program and a Wait List Control

The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effectiveness of an online group therapy to treat people with cybersex addiction or online sexual compulsivity. It will compare group therapy to individual therapy. It uses cognitive behavioral therapy, a therapy that aims to change thoughts and behaviors. In this case, the therapy will train participants in coping strategies that allow them to control their sexual impulses. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Is online group therapy effective to treat cybersex addiction/online sexual compulsivity? How does group therapy compare to individual therapy?

Researchers will compare the results of participants in group therapy to those in individual therapy and those who receive no treatment.

Participants will:

Attend evaluation sessions Attend therapy sessions once per week for 12 weeks Keep a weekly diary of their sexual behavior Complete follow-up surveys 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months after treatment

Inclusion Criteria:

• online sexual compulsive behaviors, and may or may not also have other offline sexual compulsive behaviors
• any gender or sexual orientation
• minimum score of 9-18 points on the Internet Sex Screening Test (ISST) of Delmonico (1997) in the Spanish adaptation of Ballester, Gil, Gómez and Gil (2010)

Exclusion Criteria:

• coocurrence of psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment, or other serious mental conditions