The relationship between sexual health literacy and sexual assertiveness in married women: A quantitative study in southern Iran

Sexual assertiveness is defined as one of the most important components of sexual life and as a psychosocial feeling towards one's personal interpretation of how to express oneself in a marital relationship. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sexual health literacy levels and Sexual assertiveness in married women of reproductive age.

This study was performed with a sample size of 200 married women in reproductive age who were referred to Banaruyeh health center in the south of Fars province, Iran through available sampling method. The instruments used in the study included a researcher-made demographic reproductive questionnaire, sexual health literacy for adults (SHELA) questionnaire, and the Sexual Assertiveness Hulbert. The data obtained from this study were analyzde through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 21. 

The mean age of participants was 31.65 ±5.95 years. The   mean score sexual assertiveness was 58.9 ± 6.95. A quarter of women had excellent sexual health literacy. The results of analysis of covariance showed that people with inadequate, not enough and sufficient sexual health literacy levels had lower mean sexual assertiveness scores than those with excellent sexual health literacy levels (p˂0.05). There was a statistically significant relationship between sexual fulfillment score and occupation, spouse occupation, economic status and delivery history and between sexual assertiveness score with age, age of spouse, number of pregnancies, number of abortions, inverse and statistically significant relationship (p ˂0/05).

The results showed that higher levels of sexual health literacy were associated with higher scores of sexual assertiveness. Necessary educational and counseling interventions for women of reproductive age need to be designed and implemented to improve sexual health literacy.