# Adaptation and Pilot Testing of a Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Intervention for Older Women with Low Sexual Desire

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $187,704

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Candidate and career goals: My overall career goal is to become an independent physician-scientist
conducting interdisciplinary, patient-centered clinical research to improve sexual function in aging women. This
K23 Career Development Award will provide me with the additional experience and skills to reach this goal. I
have a long-standing passion for women's health and interdisciplinary investigation, and additional training in
behavioral clinical trials, the psychological and physiologic aspects of female sexual function, and advanced
research methods in geriatric women's health will ensure my successful transition to independence. Training
will include didactic coursework, national workshops, society meetings, one-on-one mentored tutorials, and
participation in seminars. My interdisciplinary mentoring team includes Dr. Thurston (primary mentor, women's
health and aging), Dr. Resnick (geriatric women's health, behavioral trials), Dr. Borrero (qualitative research,
career mentorship), and Dr. Brotto (mindfulness, sexual function). In addition, I will be supported by the
University of Pittsburgh, a major academic medical center with a long history of high quality research. Currently
ranked 5th in the nation in NIH funding, the University comprises a wealth of research and training resources to
enable me to meet my goals.
Research plan: Almost half of U.S. women experience sexual problems, which have significant negative
impacts on physical and mental health. Low sexual desire is the most common sexual problem, particularly
among women 50 and older, but there are few treatment options available. Treatments that can address both
physical and psychological aspects of sexual dysfunction may be more effective than medications. Mindfulness
is a practice that emphasizes in-the-moment focus and non-judgmental bodily awareness. A group-based
behavioral intervention rooted in mindfulness has shown early promise in small trials, but only among younger
women. The overall objective of this study is to adapt and pilot test a mindfulness intervention in women 50
and older with low sexual desire. In phase one, data from qualitative research among older women will be used
by the primary investigator and a stakeholder advisory to adapt an existing mindfulness intervention. In phase
2, fifty women will be randomized to the adapted intervention or an educational control group on general health
and aging. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, as well as changes sexual desire, function, and
satisfaction, will be assessed. Findings from this study will be used to design a larger efficacy trial to test the
adapted intervention. The proposed award is consistent with the mission of the NIA to support research using
“integrative approaches to the study of social, psychological, and physiological influences on health and well-
being over the life course.” Developing effective treatments for women's sexual problems will not only improve
women's s...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9904317
- **Project number:** 5K23AG052628-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Holly Nicole Thomas
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $187,704
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-15 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9904317

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9904317, Adaptation and Pilot Testing of a Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Intervention for Older Women with Low Sexual Desire (5K23AG052628-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9904317. Licensed CC0.

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