Comparing the Effect of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Aripiprazole on Emotional Divorce in Patients with Hypersexuality

Abstract

Background: Sexual desires are one of the natural needs of each person being, which, if not used in the right direction, may become problematic and lead to various sexual disorders, including hypersexuality. This study aimed to compare the effects of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and aripiprazole on emotional divorce in hypersexual patients. Materials and Methods: This study was quasi-experimental, with two experimental groups, a control group, a pretest, a posttest, and a follow-up phase. For this purpose, 54 men and women with hypersexuality were purposely selected from four hospitals and psychiatric centers in Isfahan, Iran. After matching in terms of age and gender, they were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (18 patients in each group) and a control group (18 patients). The three groups were pretested by the Emotional Divorce Questionnaire. The first experimental group underwent DBT intervention for eight 2-hour sessions (once a week), and the second was prescribed aripiprazole for 2 months. Afterward, the three groups were posttested and followed up, and the data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Results: The findings demonstrated that DBT and aripiprazole significantly affected and reduced emotional divorce (P < 0.01). Also, there was a difference between DBT and aripiprazole interventions, with the more significant effect of DBT on emotional divorce (P < 0.01). Conclusion: It can be concluded that DBT and aripiprazole interventions influenced emotional divorce and these methods can be used in a complementary way; however, DBT was more influential.