Enhancing Marital Sexuality: An Evaluation of a Program for the Sexual Enrichment of Normal Couples

Abstract

The popular but little researched sexual enrichment program developed by LoPiccolo and Miller was modified and the revised Enhancing Marital Sexuality (EMS) program was evaluated using the Sexual Interaction Inventory (SII) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). A pretest-posttest-follow-up control group design was used to assess the effectiveness of EMS in improving couples' sexual and marital satisfaction. Thirty-four couples were randomly assigned (with replacements) to either the no-treatment control condition or the 11-hour EMS program. Results indicated extensive short-term improvements in sexual satisfaction for both sexes and some short-term gains in marital satisfaction for couples. At 3-month follow-up, improvement was sustained on SII scales of perceptual accuracy for both sexes, and on self-acceptance and pleasure scales for females. No marital satisfaction gains were evident at follow-up. It was concluded that long-term sexual satisfaction gains, especially for females, justify the continued use and refinement of the EMS program. Findings also indicated that marital satisfaction may be too broad a category to be affected by educational training with as specific a focus as sexual enhancement. Suggestions are made for further research.

Sexual enhancement programs: An examination of their current status and directions for future research

“…Despite Kaufman and Krupka's claim that couples who complete the program derive "considerable gain" from it, this program's effectiveness awaits empirical validation. Nathan (1982) comments on the lack of empirical assessment by asserting that "the subjective account of this program's effectiveness detracts from its utility" (p. 17).…”

“…Many researchers assert that the most important effects of a sexual treatment program are those that are found influencing the couple months after the final treatment session (Nathan, 1982;Nowinski & LoPiccolo, 1979).…”

“…The final study in this group is Nathan's (1982) re-examination of the LoPiccolo and Miller (1975aMiller ( , 1975b program. Nathan concludes that couples in the program rated certain aspects of their marital and sexual satisfaction higher than did control subjects.…”

“…These sexual enhancement programs are primarily designed for couples "who are not necessarily experiencing problems but nevertheless would like to expand and enhance their sexual relationship" (Kaufman & Krupka, 1975, p. 317). In addition, this type of program might very well be found to be useful in dealing with the problem of low sexual desire (Kaplan, 1974;Nathan, 1982).…”

The Effectiveness of Sexual Enrichment Counseling on Sexual Assertiveness in Married Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Due to the correlation among sex quality, sexual dysfunction, and low quality of life, there is a need to study assertiveness, enrichment, and improvement of the quality of sex relations in married couples (13). Sexual dissatisfaction on the one hand and the demand of the couples for improvement of sexual relations on the other indicate the importance of this issue and the needs of couples for intervention and specialized training (14).…”