Sexuality and Relationship Education Program for Autistic Young Adults in South Korea

Developing and Evaluating a Culturally Sensitive Sexual Health Education Program for Autistic Young Adults in South Korea With Input From a Community Advisory Board

The goal of this single-arm clinical trial is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of Our Love, Our Style, a group-based sexuality and relationship education program for autistic young adults in South Korea. The study aims to examine the preliminary efficacy of the program by assessing increases in sexuality knowledge, sexual and relationship behaviors, and motivation. It will also evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the program among Korean autistic young adults.

Participants will receive a 10-session, online, group-based program (90 minutes per session, once a week for 10 weeks) delivered via telehealth. The program is adapted to the Korean cultural context and tailored to the needs of autistic young adults aged 18-35 years. It will cover the following topics: social relationships (e.g., distinguishing types of relationships, apologizing, and refusing), romantic relationships, consent, sexual behavior, reproduction, prevention of sexual harassment, online and social media use related to sexuality, gender, and sexual orientation.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Our Love, Our Style (OLOS)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• South Korea
  • Seoul, South Korea
    • Korea University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• previous medical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or ASD based on DSM-5 using Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2)
• Verbal ability sufficient to produce full sentences (i.e. ADOS-2 Module 4 language level)
• Full-Scale IQ equal to or above 70

Exclusion Criteria:

- Presence of prominent hallucinations or delusions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Intervention Group; Autistic young adults will receive a group-based sexuality and relationship education program delivered in a telehealth format over 10 sessions (90 minutes per session, once a week for 10 weeks). The program will cover the following topics: social relationship (e.g., distinguishing types of relationships, apologizing, and refusing), romantic relationships, consent, sexual behavior, reproduction, prevention of sexual harassment, online and social media use related to sexuality, gender, and sexual orientation.

Behavioral: Our Love, Our Style (OLOS); The intervention will consist of an online, group-based sexuality and relationship education program delivered over 10 sessions (90 minutes per session, once a week for 10 weeks). The program will cover the following topics, adapted to the Korean cultural context and the needs of autistic young adults aged 18-35 years: social relationships (e.g., distinguishing types of relationships, apologizing, and refusing), romantic relationships, consent, sexual behavior, reproduction, prevention of sexual harassment, online and social media use related to sexuality, gender, and sexual orientation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychosexual Knowledge Test (PKT)	A 37-item multiple-choice test designed to assess a broad range of psychosexual knowledge, from understanding physical terminology to applied sexual and psychological concepts. Each item is scored as True/False	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Perceived Knowledge Questionnaire (PKQ)	A 5-item self-report measure evaluating participants' perceived level of sexual health knowledge. Items are answered in a True/False format.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Korean Relationship and Sexuality Scale (KRSS)	A 150-item self-report scale developed to comprehensively evaluate sexual health knowledge and understanding of relationships, corresponding to the content covered in the intervention program. Visual aids are provided to support autistic participants' comfort with visual materials. Each item is rated as Agree or Disagree.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (SDI-2)	A 14-item self-report questionnaire measuring the frequency and intensity of sexual desire across various contexts. Items are rated on an 8-point scale ranging from 0 (Not at all) to 7 (More than once a day).	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Self-Efficacy in Romantic Relationships Scale	A 12-item scale assessing self-efficacy and beliefs regarding one's ability to maintain and manage romantic relationships. Each item is rated on a 9-point Likert scale from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 9 (Strongly agree).	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Sexual and Dating Experiences Questionnaire	A 7-item multiple-choice questionnaire evaluating participants' experiences with various intimate and dating behaviors. Each item is answered as Never, Once or twice, or More than twice.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEQ)	A 12-item instrument assessing the frequency of diverse sexual experiences. Responses are recorded using a four-point frequency scale: Never, Once, A few times, or Many times.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention (follow-up).
Program Feasibility Survey	This questionnaire will be completed by participants at the end of the intervention program to assess the feasibility of the intervention. It includes items evaluating the practicality and usability of the program (e.g., "The online platform was easy to use," "I was able to find time to complete assigned tasks"). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neutral, 5 = strongly agree). Scores for each item range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating that participants perceived the program as more feasible.	post-intervention (1 week after the completion of the intervention)
Program Acceptability Survey	This questionnaire will be completed by participants at the end of the intervention program to assess the acceptability and overall satisfaction with the intervention. It includes items evaluating perceived benefits of the sessions (e.g., "I benefited from the sessions with the interventionist"). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neutral, 5 = strongly agree). Scores for each item range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating that participants perceived the program as more acceptable.	post-intervention (1 week after the completion of the intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Korean-Adolescents/Adults Sensory Profile (K-AASP)	A 60-item self-report measure assessing behavioral responses to everyday sensory experiences among individuals aged 11-65 years. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from Almost never to Almost always.	Baseline (pre-intervention)
UCLA Loneliness Scale (Korean Short Form)	An 8-item short form of the UCLA Loneliness Scale assessing perceived loneliness using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Never to 4 = Often). Higher scores indicate greater loneliness.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention follow-up.
Loneliness and Social Isolation Scale	A 6-item self-report measure assessing both objective and subjective dimensions of social isolation, including social networks, perceived social support, and loneliness. Each item is rated from 0 to 3.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention follow-up.
Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12)	A 34-item measure assessing experiences of stigma and discrimination related to mental health issues. It includes four subdomains: unfair treatment, self-limiting behavior, coping with stigma, and positive discrimination. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale from Not at all to A lot.	Baseline (pre-intervention)
Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)	A 25-item self-report questionnaire assessing social camouflaging behaviors used to mask autistic traits. It includes three subscales: Compensation, Masking, and Assimilation.Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale, and the measure includes reverse-scored items. Total scores range from 25 to 175, with higher scores indicating greater use of camouflaging behaviors. The Compensation subscale ranges from 9 to 63 points, and the Masking and Assimilation subscales each range from 8 to 56 points, with higher scores reflecting more frequent use of the respective camouflaging strategies.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention follow-up.
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)	A 21-item self-report instrument measuring the severity of depressive symptoms experienced during the past week. Each item is rated on a 0-3 scale, yielding a total score range of 0-63. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention follow-up.
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)	A 21-item self-report instrument assessing the severity of anxiety symptoms, including cognitive, emotional, and physiological aspects of anxiety and panic. Each item is rated on a 0-3 scale, yielding a total score range of 0-63. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention follow-up.
Relationships, Employment, Autonomy, and Life Satisfaction Scale (REALS)	A self-report measure developed for adults with autism or other intellectual and developmental disabilities. It assesses 19 life domains-including relationships, employment, autonomy, daily living, and satisfaction-using ratings of frequency, support, and satisfaction. The REALS provides several types of response options. Frequency items, used when the key question concerns how often a person engages in a particular behavior, are rated on a 5-point scale from 0 (never) to 4 (often), with higher scores indicating more frequent engagement. Support items, used to understand the level of assistance needed in a domain or the degree to which an individual can perform tasks independently, are rated from 0 to 4, where higher scores indicate greater independence and less need for support. Satisfaction items, which assess how satisfied an individual is with various aspects of their life, are rated on a 0-3 scale, with higher scores reflecting greater satisfaction in that domain.	Baseline (pre-intervention), 1 week post-intervention, and 10 weeks post-intervention follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Korea University
• Collaborators: National Research Foundation of Korea; Korean Association for Persons with Autism; Smile Together Foundation
• Investigators: Study Director: Boin Choi, PhD, Ewha Womans University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 14, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): November 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 20, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 17, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB-2025-0055-10

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No