PIMS feasibility trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Integrated Psychosexual Intervention for Sexual Difficulties in People with Multiple Sclerosis (PIMS): A Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
305830
Contact name
Rona Moss-Morris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN12202900
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 12 days
Research summary
Sexual difficulties are one of the key hidden and troubling symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS); they affect up to 50-80% of people with MS and include sexual dysfunctions (e.g., erectile dysfunction), sexual distress (e.g., worry about sex due to pain), and loss of pleasure.
A type of psychological intervention used to treat sexual difficulties, called ‘psychosexual interventions’ show promise in treating MS related sexual difficulties but have not been robustly evaluated. Psychosexual interventions combine education (e.g., knowledge about how common sexual difficulties are in MS), with other elements such as intimacy-specific practices (e.g., learning to focus on pleasurable sensations) and challenging unhelpful beliefs about body image, sexuality, and relationships.
This project will adapt a psychosexual intervention so that it is appropriate for people with MS. The research will take place at King’s College Hospital and Milton Keynes Community Health Services. This will provide preliminary evidence about the feasibility of the intervention and inform a future larger study.
Fifty adults with MS experiencing sexual difficulties will be randomised to receive either 1) the (P)sychosexual (I)ntervention for Sexual Difficulties in People with (M)ultiple (S)clerosis (PIMS) or 2) a standardised MS psychosexual education package (PSE). NHS healthcare professionals who work with people with MS (e.g., MS specialist nurses, physiotherapists) will be trained to deliver both treatments. The PSE treatment will involve clinicians asking questions about sexual difficulties, discussing treatment, and directing to other resources during a one-off 15-minute appointment. PIMS will be comprised of 8 sessions that will be no more than 50 minutes long. Two of these sessions will be facilitator led and will last approximately 30 minutes.
Participants will complete questionnaires about their mental health and sexual functioning, satisfaction, and communication before and after treatment. We will also conduct interviews with participants to get feedback and better understand their treatment experiences.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0441
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion