Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT Background and Aims Anxiety is one of the common mental illnesses affecting sexual functions among infertile women. Information and education interventions might be effective in facilitating their coping with anxiety disorder which lead to improved sexual functions and psychological wellbei...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Health Science Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70587 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849388224482377728 |
|---|---|
| author | Mahdiyeh Karimi Fatemeh Heshmatnia Sara Azima Marzieh Akbarzadeh Subash Thapa |
| author_facet | Mahdiyeh Karimi Fatemeh Heshmatnia Sara Azima Marzieh Akbarzadeh Subash Thapa |
| author_sort | Mahdiyeh Karimi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Background and Aims Anxiety is one of the common mental illnesses affecting sexual functions among infertile women. Information and education interventions might be effective in facilitating their coping with anxiety disorder which lead to improved sexual functions and psychological wellbeing. This is the first trial to pilot‐test the effectiveness of sexual health education, delivered through virtual sessions and educational booklets, in improving both psychological (reduced anxiety scores) and physical (increased sexual function) outcomes among women with infertility in Iran. Methods In this triple‐blind pilot randomized controlled trial, 90 women seeking medical treatment for infertility were randomly divided into three groups: (a) control, (b) educational booklet, and (c) virtual education. Participants in the virtual education group received six sessions of sexual health education through educational video using the WhatsApp social network. The primary outcomes included anxiety and sexual function scores measured before and 6 weeks after the intervention. Results The results showed that, after the intervention, mean state anxiety scores were significantly lower in the booklet (29.27 ± 4.5, p < 0.001) and virtual education groups (13.77 ± 11.6, p < 0.001) compared with the control group (49.26 ± 6.86). Similarly, mean trait anxiety scores significantly decreased in the booklet (27.03 ± 6.29, p < 0.001) and virtual education groups (31.66 ± 11.63, p < 0.001) compared with the control group (45.93 ± 6.52). Post‐intervention, there were significant differences between the intervention and control groups in mean scores across four dimensions of sexual function: sexual desire, sexual stimulation, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction. The virtual education and booklet groups did not show a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of state and trait anxiety, and sexual function. Conclusion Psychoeducation interventions via virtual education sessions or educational booklets appear to reduce the level of anxiety and positively affect sexual functions associated with infertility. Women seeking treatment for infertility may benefit from psychoeducational interventions, though further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings. Clinical Trial Registration The protocol has been registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20240915063041N1). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7f156991efcf403ba66c0d0d8dd3d73b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2398-8835 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Science Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-7f156991efcf403ba66c0d0d8dd3d73b2025-08-20T03:42:22ZengWileyHealth Science Reports2398-88352025-03-0183n/an/a10.1002/hsr2.70587Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled TrialMahdiyeh Karimi0Fatemeh Heshmatnia1Sara Azima2Marzieh Akbarzadeh3Subash Thapa4Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz IranDepartment of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz IranDepartment of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz IranDepartment of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz IranRural Health Research Institute Charles Sturt University Orange New South Wales AustraliaABSTRACT Background and Aims Anxiety is one of the common mental illnesses affecting sexual functions among infertile women. Information and education interventions might be effective in facilitating their coping with anxiety disorder which lead to improved sexual functions and psychological wellbeing. This is the first trial to pilot‐test the effectiveness of sexual health education, delivered through virtual sessions and educational booklets, in improving both psychological (reduced anxiety scores) and physical (increased sexual function) outcomes among women with infertility in Iran. Methods In this triple‐blind pilot randomized controlled trial, 90 women seeking medical treatment for infertility were randomly divided into three groups: (a) control, (b) educational booklet, and (c) virtual education. Participants in the virtual education group received six sessions of sexual health education through educational video using the WhatsApp social network. The primary outcomes included anxiety and sexual function scores measured before and 6 weeks after the intervention. Results The results showed that, after the intervention, mean state anxiety scores were significantly lower in the booklet (29.27 ± 4.5, p < 0.001) and virtual education groups (13.77 ± 11.6, p < 0.001) compared with the control group (49.26 ± 6.86). Similarly, mean trait anxiety scores significantly decreased in the booklet (27.03 ± 6.29, p < 0.001) and virtual education groups (31.66 ± 11.63, p < 0.001) compared with the control group (45.93 ± 6.52). Post‐intervention, there were significant differences between the intervention and control groups in mean scores across four dimensions of sexual function: sexual desire, sexual stimulation, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction. The virtual education and booklet groups did not show a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of state and trait anxiety, and sexual function. Conclusion Psychoeducation interventions via virtual education sessions or educational booklets appear to reduce the level of anxiety and positively affect sexual functions associated with infertility. Women seeking treatment for infertility may benefit from psychoeducational interventions, though further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings. Clinical Trial Registration The protocol has been registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20240915063041N1).https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70587anxietyinfertilitypilot randomized controlled trialsexual dysfunctionsexual health educationvirtual education |
| spellingShingle | Mahdiyeh Karimi Fatemeh Heshmatnia Sara Azima Marzieh Akbarzadeh Subash Thapa Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Health Science Reports anxiety infertility pilot randomized controlled trial sexual dysfunction sexual health education virtual education |
| title | Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_full | Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_short | Effectiveness of Low‐Cost, Virtual Sexual Health Education and Educational Leaflets on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Sexual Function Among Infertile Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_sort | effectiveness of low cost virtual sexual health education and educational leaflets on reducing anxiety and enhancing sexual function among infertile women a pilot randomized controlled trial |
| topic | anxiety infertility pilot randomized controlled trial sexual dysfunction sexual health education virtual education |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70587 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mahdiyehkarimi effectivenessoflowcostvirtualsexualhealtheducationandeducationalleafletsonreducinganxietyandenhancingsexualfunctionamonginfertilewomenapilotrandomizedcontrolledtrial AT fatemehheshmatnia effectivenessoflowcostvirtualsexualhealtheducationandeducationalleafletsonreducinganxietyandenhancingsexualfunctionamonginfertilewomenapilotrandomizedcontrolledtrial AT saraazima effectivenessoflowcostvirtualsexualhealtheducationandeducationalleafletsonreducinganxietyandenhancingsexualfunctionamonginfertilewomenapilotrandomizedcontrolledtrial AT marziehakbarzadeh effectivenessoflowcostvirtualsexualhealtheducationandeducationalleafletsonreducinganxietyandenhancingsexualfunctionamonginfertilewomenapilotrandomizedcontrolledtrial AT subashthapa effectivenessoflowcostvirtualsexualhealtheducationandeducationalleafletsonreducinganxietyandenhancingsexualfunctionamonginfertilewomenapilotrandomizedcontrolledtrial |