Effect of Post Marriage Marital Skills Educational Program on Sexual Function of Women Referring to the Marriage Counseling Center of Mehriz City

Sexual health is an important aspect of public health, especially in women. Healthy and satisfying sexual intercourse is an important factor in maintaining family health and preventing sexual disorders. In Iran, the prevalence of women sexual disorders was reported 31-72% in different age groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a post marriage marital skills educational program on sexual function of women referring to the marriage counseling center of Mehriz City in 2020.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 72 women who had been married for 6 months to one year. The participants were divided into the control (n = 36) and intervention (n = 36) groups. The data were collected using female sexual function index (FSTI) questionnaire. The intervention group was educated in 4 sessions of 120 minutes. Data analysis was performed by SPSS version 22 using descriptive and analytical statistics.

The mean age of the subjects in the intervention group was 22.58±4.83 and in the control group was 21.83±4.01years. The results showed that after the educational intervention, the mean score of sexual function increased significantly from 22.9 to 27 in the intervention group (p <0.05). There was also a significant increase in sexual desire, psychological stimulation, vaginal moisture, orgasm, satisfaction and a decrease in sexual pain (p <0.05). In the control group, the mean score of sexual function did not change significantly.

It seems that the designed intervention of marital skills education on women's sexual function had a significant effect on all dimensions of sexual function. It is recommended that educational-counseling interventions be performed after marriage in health centers.