Effects of Virtual Emotion Regulation Training on Positive and Negative Sexual Self-Concept of Diabetic Married Women Covered by Comprehensive Health Centers in Gorgan, Iran

Sexual self-concept is an individual's perception of his/her sexual feelings and actions, which can be affected by chronic diseases, including diabetes. As a biological and psychological crisis, diabetes can cause mood changes. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of virtual emotion regulation training on the positive and negative sexual self-concept of diabetic married women.

An interventional study was conducted on women with type 2 diabetes covered by the comprehensive health service centers of Gorgan (Iran) in 2019. Overall, 36 eligible diabetic women were enrolled via available sampling. The subjects were assigned to an intervention group (n=19) and a control group (n=17) through four-block allocation and random selection without placement. Virtual emotion regulation training was held during 4 sessions, once a week, for the intervention group. Both groups completed the Persian version of Beck’s Depression Inventory and Snell’s Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire at baseline, immediately after the last virtual training session, and one month after the last training session. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc test at a significance level of 0.05.

The mean score of positive sexual self-concept of patients after the last training session was 133.68 ± 18.91in the intervention and 131.17 ± 18.86 in the control group. The mean score of positive sexual self-concept of patients one month after the training was 10± 9.51in the intervention group and 15.17 ± 11.92in the control group. The mean score of negative sexual self-concept of patients after the last training session was 10.42± 10.04 in the intervention and 14.52± 14.39 in the control group. The interaction effects of time and group on the positive sexual self-concept did not differ significantly (P=0.316). The group effect was also not statistically significant (P=0.58). The interaction effects of time and group on the negative sexual self-concept were significant (P=0.023), and the group effect was not statistically significant (P₌0.47).

The significant interaction of time and group on negative sexual self-concept indicates that the negative sexual self-concept in diabetic women has been affected by the intervention. Given the significant effects of virtual emotion regulation training on the management of negative emotions, this type of intervention can be beneficial for improving the health of diabetic women.