Our Current Projects
Description :
The Sexual Health Laboratory (Université de Montréal) and the Couples & Sexual Health Laboratory (Dalhousie University) are currently recruiting couples where one partner has difficulties with low sexual desire to participate in a new online research study.
The purpose of this research study is to examine the impact of different psychological factors on the sexual, relational, and psychological well-being of couples coping with low sexual desire.
If eligible, both members of the couple will separately complete:
- Three online surveys (approximately 50-70 minutes each) over 12 months
- Brief online daily surveys for 2 months (approximately 8-15 minutes each day)
In compensation, participants can receive up to $346/couple (Canadian Dollars) in gift cards for completing all surveys in the study.
This project is approved by the Comité d’éthique de la recherche en éducation et en psychologie of the Université de Montréal and is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Who can participate:
Couples who have already been part of this project. We are not recruiting new participants.
Description :
The Sexual Health Laboratory (Université de Montréal) is recruiting individuals to join a study examining the influence of negative early experiences on sexual well-being in adulthood. Data will be collected from 500 individuals without any discriminating criteria of gender, biological sex, and sexual orientation. Eligible participants will answer three online surveys, which should take between 40 and 60 minutes each. These surveys will be conducted over the course of a year. For their time and participation in the research study, participants will receive up to $30CAD in electronic transfer as a token of our appreciation ($10 per completed survey).
Although studies have found associations between negative early childhood experiences and sexual well-being in adulthood, results remain contradictory. Relational, contextual, and individual factors could explain those conflicting results. A linguistic analysis can provide important information, which could help us improve our understanding of the associations between negative early childhood experiences and sexual well-being in adulthood. Therefore, this project aims to examine the way individuals describe their sexuality by giving them a written task and how these descriptions relate to indicators of sexual, marital, and psychological well-being over time. These results will refine interventions that focus on the effects of negative early childhood experiences on sexuality, considering different individual characteristics.
This project is financed by the Canada Research Chair in Intimate Relationships and Sexual Well-being and is conducted by Noémie Bigras, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab. This project is approved by the Ethics Committee of the Université de Montréal (#CEREP-21-089-D).
Who can participate:
Eligible individuals are adults who reside in Canada and have been involved in a romantic relationship for at least a year. Also, they must be sexually active with their partner, be able to read and write French, and intend to complete all three surveys.
How to participate:
Email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Description :
The International Sex Survey (ISS) is a large, cross-cultural study that examines sexuality, including the positive (e.g., sexual satisfaction, sexual desire) and negative aspects of it (e.g., sexual risk-taking, sexual function problems) via an anonymous online survey. We will donate 50 cents (USD) to non-profit, sexuality-related international organizations (e.g., World Association for Sexual Health) for every completed survey, with a maximum of a 1000 USD donation. The ISS will be conducted with more than 40 participating countries. This way, we can compare the results across different cultures, and have a more comprehensive understanding of sexuality all over the world. Thus, your participation in the study will help with the success of our research.
What are the ISS study objectives?
Healthy sexuality is an integral part of the human experience and well-being. However, some sexual behaviours may result in significant distress or impairment in different life areas (e.g., work issues). Our mission is to systematically examine why and for whom some sexual behaviours may result in optimal or adverse outcomes, and help people who may experience sexual problems.
What are the implications of the ISS?
With the results of this study, we will be able to:
1. Provide publicly available scales in several languages that can reliably assess different sexual behaviours that may be used in future research and practice
2. Identify risk and protective factors that can contribute to the development of sexual problems
3. Identify at-risk groups that may benefit from future prevention and intervention programs
Who are the main researchers in the ISS team?
➢ Dr. Beáta Bőthe, Ph.D., Principal investigator, University of Montreal, Canada
➢ Dr. Zsolt Demetrovics, Ph.D., D.Sc., Co-investigator, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
➢ Dr. Shane W. Kraus, Ph.D., Co-investigator, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
➢ Dr. Marc N. Potenza, Ph.D., M.D., Co-investigator, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, USA; Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, USA
➢ Mónika Koós, MA & Léna Nagy, MA, Co-investigator, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Canadian investigators:
➢ Dr. Sophie Bergeron, Ph.D., Collaborator, Université de Montréal, Canada
➢ Dr. Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, Ph.D., Collaborator, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada
Who to contact?
If you are interested in our research and have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: internationalsexsurvey.org/
Description :
The Sexual Health Laboratory (Université de Montréal) and the Laboratory of Jacinthe Dion (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi) are currently visiting high schools in Montreal and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean in order to better understand youth’s sexual and romantic relationships and the challenges they entail. Adolescents in secondary 3 will complete a 30 to 45-minute questionnaire on an electronic tablet in the classroom. They will again respond to a lighter version of the questionnaire in secondary 4 and secondary 5.
Results of this study will be particularly relevant given that sexual education has become mandatory in schools within the province of Quebec. Our findings will inform interventions aimed at promoting healthy sexual development and romantic relationships in youth, especially sexual and gender minority youth and those who have experienced different types of victimization during childhood or adolescence. This project, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the Université de Montréal and the Research Ethics Board of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
Who can participate:
High schools in Montreal and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean that have been selected. We are not recruiting other schools at the moment.
