The effect of sexual health education on sexual myths, sexual distress and quality of sexual life in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled study

This research was conducted as a parallel group pre-test, post-test randomized controlled experimental study to determine the effect of sexual health education on sexual myths, sexual distress and sexual quality of life in postmenopausal women. The research was conducted with 124 postmenopausal women (intervention group: 62, control group: 62) who met the research criteria at Karaman Training and Research Hospital located in the city center of Karaman between 1 April and 7 August 2022. The women included in the study were assigned to the intervention and control groups by randomization method. A total of four sessions of Sexual Health Education were given to postmenopausal women in the intervention group once a week. No interference was made to postmenopausal women in the control group. Women in the intervention and control groups were re-evaluated eight weeks after the Sexual Health Education. Personal Information Form, Sexual Myths Scale (SMS), Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), Sexual Quality of Life Scale-Female (SQL-F) were used to collect data. Number, mean, percentage, standard deviation, chi-square test, mixed pattern ANOVA tests were used in the analysis of the data, and t test was used for independent groups in the analysis of the data. It was determined that the women in the intervention and control groups had similar characteristics in terms of socio-demographic, obstetric, menopause and sexual life characteristics and there was no statistical difference between the groups (p>0.05). It was designated that the SMS total score averages of the women (80.19±11.39; 80.02±10.41, respectively) in the intervention and control groups before the training were similar (p>0.05), and the SMS total score averages of the women in the intervention group after the training were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the control group (47.94±5.82; 76.82±10.09, respectively). While the mean FSDS scores of the women (13.06±4.23; 13.13±4.28, respectively) in the intervention and control groups before the training were similar (p>0.05), the mean FSDS scores of the women (5.15±2.08; 13.58±4.15, respectively) in the intervention group after the training were significantly lower (p<0.001) than the control group. It was established that while the mean SQL-F scores of the women (56.61±31.04; 56.77±30.77, respectively) in the intervention and control groups before the training were similar (p>0.05), the mean SQL-F scores of the women (75.81±23.37; 57.26±30.47, respectively) in the intervention group after the training were significantly higher (p<0.001) than the control group. The study found that Sexual Health Education is effective in reducing sexual myths, sexual distress and improving the quality of sexual life. It has been determined that managing sexual myths and sexual distress in the postmenopausal period has a positive impact on sexual life and increases the quality of sexual life. It is recommended that Sexual Health Education be integrated into the interventions planned to reduce the sexual myths and sexual distress of postmenopausal women, and to increase their quality of sexual life.