Sexual Intervention Self-Efficacy in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral Trainees: Examining Education, Family Sexual Communication, and Sex Positivity

Sexual wellbeing is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of psychological health. Despite its significance, many psychologists report discomfort and low self-efficacy in addressing clients’ sexual concerns. The current study examined factors associated with sexual intervention self-efficacy among doctoral trainees in clinical and counseling psychology. Specifically, it investigated whether family communication about sex and didactic education in sexuality predicted sexual intervention self-efficacy and whether sex positivity moderated these relationships. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with 166 doctoral students enrolled in APA-accredited programs across the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and measures assessing family sexual communication, sex positivity, didactic education in sexuality, and sexual intervention self-efficacy. Hierarchical regression and moderation analyses indicated that both family sexual communication and didactic education were positively associated with sexual intervention self-efficacy. Although sex positivity was independently associated with higher self-efficacy, it did not significantly moderate the relationships between education or family sexual communication and self-efficacy. These findings underscore the importance of integrating sexuality-related education and fostering open communication attitudes in doctoral training programs to enhance clinicians’ confidence in addressing sexual wellbeing. Implications for curriculum development, supervision, and future research are discussed.