{"title":"Love-Centered Therapy and the First Story Cycle: A Dyadic Process Model of Implicit Relational Activation, Autonomic Co-Regulation, and Sexual Field Disruption.","authors":"Skylar Colle","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2720622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2720622","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Couples often recognize the patterns that keep them stuck long before they become capable of interrupting them. Love-Centered Therapy (LCT) is a clinically derived process model that synthesizes attachment theory, somatic psychology, interpersonal neurobiology, and decolonial scholarship. LCT organizes intervention through three interconnected constructs: learned templates for intimate relationships (the First Story), the repetitive unsatisfying interactions those templates produce (the First Story Cycle), and the emotions generated by that ongoing interaction (the Relational Field). Intervention focuses on helping partners approach their learned responses with curiosity rather than judgment, take responsibility for their own activation, and return to relational contact from a more regulated state.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sexual Activity, Sexual Well-Being, and Associated Factors Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Aysu Yildiz Karaahmet, Shahla Shafaati Laleh","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2716863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2716863","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize quantitative evidence on sexuality-related outcomes, including sexual activity, behavior, function, and well-being, among older adults and to examine differences according to gender and social context. Conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the review included quantitative observational studies. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed, heterogeneity was assessed using the <i>I</i><sup>2</sup> statistic, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses evaluated the robustness of the pooled estimates. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Older men had significantly higher sexual behavior-related scores than older women (SMD = -0.39, 95% CI -0.65 to -0.14; <i>p</i> = 0.002), while older adults living with someone had higher sexual behavior-related scores than those living alone (SMD = 0.93, 95% CI 0.50-1.36; <i>p</i> < 0.001). No significant difference was found in sexual function-related scores between sexually active and sexually passive older adults (SMD = -0.07, 95% CI -3.05 to 2.90; <i>p</i> = 0.96), although substantial heterogeneity warrants cautious interpretation. Overall, sexuality-related outcomes in older adults appear to differ according to gender and social context, but the observed associations should be interpreted cautiously because of considerable between-study heterogeneity.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Consent Is More Than \"Multi-Factor Authentication\": From Intuited Cues to Communicative Accountability.","authors":"Pramana","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2714831","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2714831","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148706872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zsuzsanna Mirnics, Paraskevi-Sofia Kirana, David L Rowland
{"title":"Health Care Practitioners' Treatment Objectives and Criteria for Ending Treatment in Men with Premature Ejaculation.","authors":"Zsuzsanna Mirnics, Paraskevi-Sofia Kirana, David L Rowland","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2710311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2710311","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Criteria used by healthcare practitioners (HCPs) to set goals and assess when treatment was successful, met its goals, and/or should be ended has not been studied for men seeking treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). This study describes HCPs' priorities regarding treatment goals, assessment of success, and decisions to end treatment for men with PE, and examined whether HCP characteristics influenced these decisions. Overall, 240 medical and mental health professionals completed an online or in-person survey on treatment objectives and termination criteria in PE care. Results indicated that, according to HCP reports, patients' primary treatment goal was increased ejaculation latency, whereas HCPs themselves most strongly prioritized reducing distress and improving coping. For ejaculation latency, 44.7% of HCPs defined success according to the client's preferred level. Beyond latency, reduced stress and improved coping received the highest success rating, and 76.9% of HCPs reported moderate-to-high success in treating men with PE. Treatment termination was most often linked to increased sexual satisfaction and reduced distress. Professional training, identity, and PE treatment experience influenced goals, success assessment, and termination decisions. PE treatment requires explicit shared decision-making to align clinicians' biopsychosocial priorities with patients' symptom-specific expectations.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148679045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Digital Interventions for Female Sexual Pain Disorders: A Systematic Review with Evidence Mapping and Limited Quantitative Synthesis.","authors":"Ebru Zulfikaroglu","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2704603","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2704603","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Digital interventions for female sexual pain disorders, including genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD)/vaginismus and vulvodynia/vestibulodynia, may help address persistent barriers to specialist care. In this systematic review with evidence mapping and limited quantitative synthesis, we synthesized evidence on clinical efficacy and engagement across digital formats, including guided internet-based programs, app-based interventions, and digital therapeutics. Fifty-one studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, and three contributed to a limited quantitative synthesis. The most directly relevant trials suggested improvements in penetration-related outcomes, sexual function, pain-related outcomes, or both, while guided formats showed stronger engagement. Overall, digital care appears promising, but the literature remains methodologically heterogeneous, and the strongest direct evidence is concentrated in a relatively small subset of diagnosis-specific trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148673720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine E Hunker, Yassaman Malekzadeh, A Fuchsia Howard, Ulrike Dehaeck, Melanie Altas, Katrina N Bouchard
{"title":"Navigating Sexual Challenges as a Couple in the Context of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis Informed by Sexual Script Theory.","authors":"Katherine E Hunker, Yassaman Malekzadeh, A Fuchsia Howard, Ulrike Dehaeck, Melanie Altas, Katrina N Bouchard","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2710313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2710313","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that can lead to vulvar itch and pain as well as challenges in sexual relationships. Yet, little research explores how couples coping with VLS navigate sexual challenges. Informed by <i>sexual script theory</i> and the concept of <i>sexual script flexibility</i> (i.e., adapting a typical sexual routine in response to a sexual problem), we aimed to examine the sexual challenges faced by couples coping with VLS and the strategies they used to cope and maintain satisfying sexual lives. A sample of 98 couples (196 individuals) independently completed two open-ended survey questions about VLS-related sexual challenges and coping strategies, which were analyzed using a reflexive thematic and abductive approach. Couples were found to cope with sexual challenges in three main ways, by 1) <i>using sexual aids, but with varied experiences</i> (3 subthemes), 2) <i>focusing on the partner, for better or worse</i> (2 subthemes), and 3) <i>redefining the sexual relationship as a couple</i> (4 subthemes). Within each of the three themes and nine subthemes, we discuss how couple members' coping strategies align with sexual script flexibility or not, and couples' nuanced reactions to implementing flexible strategies in their sexual lives.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148664059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interventions for Sexual Function and Sexual Health in Women with Cancer: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.","authors":"Özden Tandoğan, Eda Yakıt Ak, Zeynep Ogul","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2710319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2710319","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have evaluated interventions for sexual function and sexual health in women with cancer, yet they report inconsistent effect sizes for the same intervention families, and the extent to which they draw on overlapping primary studies has not been quantified. We aimed to synthesize and appraise this review-level evidence under a single framework, evaluating methodological quality (AMSTAR 2), certainty of evidence (GRADE), and between-review overlap (corrected covered area, CCA). Following the PRIOR and PRISMA 2020 guidelines, three databases (1,700 records) plus hand-searching were screened. Eighteen systematic reviews/meta-analyses met eligibility. Each was appraised with AMSTAR 2; certainty was derived for pooling reviews using a GRADE-informed approach; overlap was quantified with CCA and pairwise Jaccard coefficients. Pooled sexual function effects were consistently positive (SMD 0.63-0.98), though partly obscured by scale heterogeneity (raw FSFI mean differences vs. standardized effects) and very high statistical heterogeneity (I<sup>2</sup> = 79-95%). Methodological quality was low or critically low in 89% (16/18) of reviews. Overall CCA was slight (3.57%) but concentrated within clusters (11.6-37.5%); a single RCT recurred across six reviews, indicating an illusion of independent evidence. Although these interventions show a beneficial direction, certainty is low; effect-magnitude claims should be cautious, and future syntheses should report overlap and apply GRADE.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148664062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Methodological Caution in Interpreting Psychological Pathways to Gender Transition and Detransition.","authors":"Mukhamad Zulianto","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2709395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2709395","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148579072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carson R Dover, Brian J Willoughby, Nathan D Leonhardt, Dean M Busby
{"title":"Two Sides of the Same Coin or Two Different Coins? How Attachment and Alcohol Use Differentially Predict Number of Reported Casual and Committed Sexual Partners.","authors":"Carson R Dover, Brian J Willoughby, Nathan D Leonhardt, Dean M Busby","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2704598","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2704598","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this article was to analyze potential predictors of accumulating casual vs. committed sexual partners in emerging adulthood. We used a large, six-wave longitudinal sample from the United States (<i>n</i> = 1,714) to examine how alcohol use and attachment orientation differentially predicted accumulating casual and committed sexual partners. Using structural equation modeling, we found that higher anxious attachment positively predicted the number of reported committed sexual partners (β = 0.09, <i>p</i> < 0.01), while higher avoidant attachment negatively predicted the number of reported casual sexual partners (β = -0.08, <i>p</i> < 0.05). We also found that alcohol use positively predicted both the number of reported casual (β = 0.29, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and committed sexual partners (β = 0.15, <i>p</i> < 0.001) emerging adults accumulated. Further, we tested the strength of the various associations and found that anxious attachment more strongly predicted committed sexual partners, while avoidant attachment and alcohol use more strongly predicted casual sexual partners. This work highlights the need for scholars to distinguish between the type of sexual partners emerging adults accumulate during this time of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148549503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patrícia M Pascoal, Rui Ferreira Carvalho, Andreia A Manão, Leonor Pereira da Costa, Catarina F Raposo
{"title":"Perfectionism, Worry, and Cognitive Distraction's Role in Sexual Distress and Pleasure: Insights from a Transdiagnostic Framework Using Cross-Sectional Data.","authors":"Patrícia M Pascoal, Rui Ferreira Carvalho, Andreia A Manão, Leonor Pereira da Costa, Catarina F Raposo","doi":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2694401","DOIUrl":"10.1080/0092623X.2026.2694401","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We aimed to explore the associations between perfectionism, sexual distress, and sexual pleasure, using worry and cognitive distraction as serial mediators. Grounded in dimensional and transdiagnostic frameworks of emotional problems, as well as cognitive models of perfectionism and sexual function, we tested a theoretically driven mediation model in a large online community sample (<i>N</i> = 902; <i>M<sub>age</sub></i> = 32.89, <i>SD</i> = 11.21). Controlling for gender identity and sexual orientation, results showed that perfectionistic evaluative concerns were indirectly associated with greater sexual distress through sequential pathways involving worry and cognitive distraction related to body appearance and performance. Smaller indirect effects were also observed for sexual pleasure. Overall, findings highlight the role of maladaptive cognitive processes in linking perfectionism to sexual outcomes, supporting transdiagnostic accounts of sexual distress and pleasure, and underscoring the relevance of targeting transdiagnostic cognitive mechanisms in future clinical interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":17171,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148549392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}