1 - (OP30) ADISEX: The Development of a Cognitive-behavioral Program for the Treatment of Cybersex Addiction

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly impact all areas of our lives, and sexuality is not exempt. Alongside these new technologies, new phenomena and new risks emerge, including cybersex addiction, the online manifestation of sex addiction. Though neither condition has yet been recognized in the DSM-5, the ICD-11 does include Compulsive Sexual Behavior among its disorders. The absence of a consensus on the clinical criteria for its diagnosis, its recent recognition, and the heterogeneity of patient profiles have lead to the absence of structured psychological treatment programs with empirical evidence of their effectiveness. In this conference we present the ADISEX program, the only a controlled clinical trial in the Spanish-speaking world of a CBT-based treatment program for cybersex addiction, and one of the few in the world with data on its effectiveness both in the short term and after a one-year follow-up.The structured treatment consists of twelve one-hour sessions for individual treatment and twelve two-and-a-half-hour sessions for group treatment. The content includes psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, contingency contracts, environmental planning or stimulus control strategies, cognitive restructuring, self-esteem training, breath training, distraction techniques, mindfulness, discussing meaning of life, problem-solving techniques, alternate coping behavior strategies, lifestyle change, rebuilding patients’ sex life and relationship, and relapse prevention. In both individual and group modalities, two of the sessions are devoted to individual problems that can vary greatly from one patient to another, such as relationship problems, sexual dysfunction, other addictions, or a history of sexual abuse. So far, we have gathered evidence of a high degree of effectiveness of this program both for recovery from the disorder, with a reduction and, in some cases, elimination of symptoms, as well as a significant improvement in other clinical sexual, and emotional variables. Furthermore, this improvement tends to be sustained over time at the one-year follow-up. For all of these reasons, we believe that the ADISEX program can be a valuable tool for people suffering from problems arising from a lack of control over their sexual impulses.

Funding: Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (PID2021-127353OB-I00).