Evaluating Covert Sensitization in the Treatment of Male Sex Addicts: Three Single Subject Studies

• Published in: Sexual health & compulsivity (Print) Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 142 - 169
• Main Author: Barrilleaux, J. Christopher
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis LLC 02.04.2024
• Subjects: Addictions; Behavior modification; Classical conditioning; Clinical assessment; Compulsions; Covert sensitization; Drug addiction; Graphs; Intervention; Measures; Medical screening; Sensation seeking; Sensitization; Sexual behavior; Substance abuse treatment
• ISSN: 2692-9953; 2692-9996
• DOI: 10.1080/26929953.2024.2325465

PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate whether Covert Sensitization (CS), a behavioral treatment based on classical conditioning, is a potentially effective treatment intervention when working with sex addicts in an office-based setting.MethodThe 15-week study featured the evaluation of three clients using an A-B-A treatment design where baseline outcome measures were taken for three consecutive weeks prior to the onset of therapy, then during the eight consecutive weeks of CS therapy, and continued for the four consecutive weeks following the conclusion of CS therapy. Two outcome measures were used: the Sexual Addiction Screening Test – Revised to determine client inclusion; and the Sexual Sensation Seeking and Sexual Compulsivity Scales (SSSSCS) to measure treatment outcome.ResultsOn the Sexual Compulsivity Scale component of the SSSSCS, nine of ten items demonstrated significant decreases in sexual addiction over the 15-week study.DiscussionThe results support both hypotheses. The outcomes were demonstrated with the use of line graphs for visual inspection without the use of inferential statistics.