Acceptance Versus Distraction for Unwanted Sexual Thoughts

This on-line study examined 67 participants who rated their sexual thought distress level as moderately distressing or greater, on the successfulness of an acceptance-based strategy and a distraction-based strategy for dealing with unwanted sexual thoughts. The study began with the completion of an assessment battery, which measured attitudes about sexual thoughts. During a pre-intervention three minute time period, participants were asked to record/report occurrences a previously identified unwanted sexual thought, if or when, it occurred. They were then randomly placed into one of three experimental conditions (e.g., acceptance-based, distraction-based, and a control group) in which they viewed a video presentation that taught strategies for dealing with unwanted sexual thoughts. After watching the presentation, participants again recorded occurrences of sexual thoughts during a three minute period. Participants also completed the questions again to assess attitudes about sexual thoughts post intervention. Thought frequencies decreased for all groups post intervention, while levels of acceptance increased for the acceptance-based group, and decreased for the control-based group. Participants in the distraction based group also rated their sexual thoughts as being more similar to acting on the thought post intervention