Abstract
Background and aims: Sexuality is natural to human life and inseparable from it, yet some individuals develop compulsive sexual behavior (CSB). Many individuals with CSB seek treatment in free self-support groups based on the twelve-step program. This program was extensively studied in substance abuse disorders (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), but little is known about its efficiency in CSB. Methods: We “assesed” questionnaire data on sociodemographical-, psychological-, and recovery-related factors from 97 male participants of Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) programs in Israel. Results: Our results indicated that advancement in the SA program, measured as a current step of the program, is significantly related to lower levels of sexual-related overall sense of helplessness, avoidant help-seeking, self-control, overall CSB, and sexual suppression. It is also related to the higher well-being. Discussion: This is the first study to examine psychological factors of CSB recovery process in twelve-step groups, and future research is needed to replicate our results within a longitudinal study.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 445-453 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Behavioral Addictions |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding sources: MG is supported by the scholarship of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Republic of Poland (469/STYP/10/2015), scholarship of the Kosciuszko Foundation and Polish National Science Centre, OPUS grant (2014/15/B/HS6/03792).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author(s)
Keywords
- 12-step groups
- Compulsive sexual behavior
- Recovery
- Sexaholics Anonymous
