An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Smartphone Application for Erectile Dysfunction: A Feasibility Study

Background

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a multifactorial disorder with both psychogenic and organic components, but psychosocial factors are usually neglected.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone application targeting psychosocial factors of ED and to examine its feasibility, acceptability, and treatment response to determine the parameters for a larger clinical trial.

Methods

In this single-arm feasibility study, 8 participants with situational ED were enrolled. Dr. App, a newly developed smartphone treatment application for patients with psychogenic ED consisting of 8 weekly modules based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, was delivered. The primary outcome was comparison of the International Index of Erectile Function-15 domain scores measured pre- and post-intervention.

Results

Six out of 8 participants completed the Dr. App and the post-intervention measures. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a significant change in erectile function (P < 0.05; r = –0.65) and a significant trend in intercourse satisfaction (P < 0.10; r = –0.47) and overall satisfaction (P < .10; r = –0.47). Additionally, the reliable change index values were used to calculate the number of participants for whom a clinically meaningful difference occurred. The results showed that 33.30% of the participants had clinically meaningful differences in erectile function and 66.70% in intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction. On the other hand, no significant differences were shown in orgasmic function and sexual desire.

Conclusions

Findings from this study support the feasibility, acceptability, and potential usefulness of the smartphone application targeting psychosocial factors of ED and warrant a larger randomized clinical trial to confirm the results.