Drawing out the shame: A comparative study on the effectiveness of art therapy with hypersexual adults

A scoping review of psychosocial interventions to reduce internalised shame

Internalised shame has been linked to psychopathology and consistently identified as a predictor of poor treatment outcomes and premature therapy termination. We conducted a scoping review of therapist-delivered psychosocial interventions to reduce internalised shame to learn how to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing shame.

Six bibliographical databases were searched for studies measuring internalised shame pre- and post-treatment. We screened 6846 abstracts; 42 full-text manuscripts were retrieved, with 16 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Of these, 10 studies examined between- and within-subject effects, and 6 studies exclusively examined within-subject effects.

Twelve of the sixteen included studies reported small to moderate within-group reductions in internalised shame. Between group analyses showed that shame interventions may be more effective than no treatment or treatment as usual, but not more effective than an active comparator.

Successful treatments often involved psychoeducation, experiential exercises, and techniques to increase social support and emotional expression; however, study quality was weak to moderate and the importance of each of these techniques for reducing internalised shame was not determined.

Treatments and interventions for compulsive sexual behavior disorder with a focus on problematic pornography use: A preregistered systematic review

Background and aims

Compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) which includes problematic pornography use (PPU) is a clinically relevant syndrome that has been included in the ICD-11 as impulse control disorder. The number of studies on treatments in CSBD and PPU increased in the last years. The current preregistered systematic review aimed for identifying treatment studies on CSBD and PPU as well as treatment effects on symptom severity and behavior enactment.

Methods

The study was preregistered at Prospero International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021252329). The literature search done in February 2022 at PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo, included original research published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 to end 2021. The risk of bias was assessed with the CONSORT criteria. A quantitative synthesis based on effect sizes was done.

Results

Overall 24 studies were identified. Four of these studies were randomized controlled trials. Treatment approaches included settings with cognitive behavior therapy components, psychotherapy methods, and psychopharmacological therapy. Receiving treatment seems to improve symptoms of CSBD and PPU. Especially, evidence for the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy is present.

Discussion and conclusions

There is first evidence for the effectiveness of treatment approaches such as cognitive behavior therapy. However, strong conclusions on the specificity of treatments should be drawn with caution. More rigorous and systematic methodological approaches are needed for future studies. Results may be informative for future research and the development of specific treatment programs for CSBD and PPU.