Sexual health in your pocket: An overview of mobile applications for sexual disorders

Background: The number of mobile applications for mental health is rising. People dealing with sexual difficulties often turn to advice provided by applications, which may not contain correct information or effective therapeutic techniques. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the mobile applications in the field of sexual health and to find out which content and therapeutic techniques they include, with emphasis on cognitive-behavioral interventions frequently used in therapy. Method: To achieve the research goal, three databases with mobile applications were searched (Google Play, Apple store and Microsoft Windows), using keywords "sex", "sexual health", "sexual dysfunctions", "sexual problem", "sexual intimacy", "sexual pleasure", "sexual treatment" and "sex therapy". Only applications that stated in the title or description that they are focused on sexual disorders or the improvement of sexual functioning were downloaded and studied in detail. Results: Out of a total of 3685 identified applications, 47 of them met the agreed criteria. The results showed that more applications have been developed for men and were rarely adapted to older age groups. Most applications did not consider the sexual orientation of the user. A large number of them was developed for users with erectile dysfunction, and only one for women with vaginismus. Only 15 of applications contained elements of gamification. 83% of them included techniques to work on the symptoms. Most apps included sexuality tips and Kegel exercises. A small number of them included effective techniques such as a training of sexual fantasies, sensate focus, guided masturbation, relaxation, mindfulness and mirror exercise, and only one included cognitive restructuring. Conclusion: Several mobile applications have been developed to enhance sexual functioning, but none of them cover all the techniques that are used in sex therapy. It is necessary to develop applications that would focus on multiple users and include quality cognitive-behavioral techniques.