Jamshidi Azadeh, Noroozi Farzaneh, Bagherzadeh Razieh, Gharibi Tayebeh
Student Research Committee, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
Health Education and Health Promotion, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
BMC Womens Health. 2025 Jan 4;25(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-03512-2.
Given the negative impact of breast cancer and its treatment on women's self-efficacy in various areas, including sexual function, investigating and understanding ways to enhance sexual function is crucial. The current study aimed to examine the impact of sexual counseling and education based on self-efficacy theory on the sexual function of women with breast cancer.
The trial was a randomized controlled trial with a parallel design, including a pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Fifty married breast cancer survivors, having a disorder in at least one domain of sexual function (score below 3.9) and meeting other research criteria, visited clinics and hematology departments of hospitals in Bushehr (a city in southern Iran) between 2023 and 2024 were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups using block randomization. The intervention group received two educational sessions and three counseling sessions based on the self-efficacy theory. Data collection utilized demographic information forms and a sexual function index for women, which consists of 19 questions that assess six domains of women's sexual function (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain during intercourse) over a period of 4 weeks and completed by participants during the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, percentage, frequency) and analytical tests, including the independent t-test, Mann‒Whitney U test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test and repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc LSD test were used for data analysis, considering a significance level of less than 0.05 in all cases.
The mean age of patients in the intervention and control groups was 44.42 ± 4.88 and 43.44 ± 5.20, respectively. The two groups did not have statistically significant differences in demographic and disease-related variables (P > 0.05). An independent t-test showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the average pre-test sexual function score and its domains (P > 0.05). Changes in overall sexual function and the arousal, orgasm, lubrication, and satisfaction domains from pre-test to post-test and from pre-test to follow-up increased in the intervention group and decreased in the control group, with statistically significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). However, the average changes from post-test to follow-up were not statistically significant between the two groups.
The total FSFI scores and most of its domains in the intervention group were higher than those in the control group, which can be attributed to the impact of sexual education and counseling. Therefore, the use of this non-invasive, cost-effective, and straightforward method along with other medical approaches is recommended.
IRCT20231102059930N1, 4 December 2023, Prospectively registered, at http//www.irct.ir.
鉴于乳腺癌及其治疗对女性在包括性功能在内的各个领域的自我效能产生负面影响，研究和了解增强性功能的方法至关重要。本研究旨在探讨基于自我效能理论的性咨询与教育对乳腺癌女性性功能的影响。
该试验为平行设计的随机对照试验，包括前测、后测和为期一个月的随访。在2023年至2024年期间，有目的地选择了50名已婚乳腺癌幸存者，她们至少在一个性功能领域存在障碍（得分低于3.9）且符合其他研究标准，这些幸存者前往布什尔（伊朗南部的一个城市）医院的诊所和血液科就诊，并使用区组随机化方法将其随机分为干预组和对照组。干预组接受了基于自我效能理论的两次教育课程和三次咨询课程。数据收集使用了人口统计学信息表和女性性功能指数，该指数由19个问题组成，评估女性性功能的六个领域（性欲、性唤起、润滑、性高潮、满意度和性交疼痛），为期4周，参与者在测试前、测试后和随访阶段完成。数据分析使用描述性统计（均值、标准差、百分比、频率）和分析测试，包括独立t检验、曼-惠特尼U检验、卡方检验、费舍尔精确检验以及重复测量方差分析（ANOVA），随后进行事后LSD检验，所有情况下显著性水平均设定为小于0.05。
干预组和对照组患者的平均年龄分别为44.42±4.88岁和43.44±5.20岁。两组在人口统计学和疾病相关变量方面无统计学显著差异（P>0.05）。独立t检验显示，两组在测试前性功能平均得分及其各领域方面无显著差异（P>0.05）。干预组从测试前到测试后以及从测试前到随访阶段，总体性功能以及性唤起、性高潮、润滑和满意度领域的变化有所增加，而对照组则有所下降，两组之间存在统计学显著差异（P<0.05）。然而，两组从测试后到随访阶段的平均变化无统计学显著差异。
干预组的总FSFI得分及其大部分领域高于对照组，这可归因于性教育和咨询的影响。因此，建议将这种非侵入性、经济高效且简单直接的方法与其他医学方法一起使用。
IRCT20231102059930N1，2023年12月4日，前瞻性注册，网址为http//www.irct.ir。
