Abstract
Background: Insufficient information about sex during pregnancy as well as negative attitude towards it may lead to serious problems in the couple’s communication and sexual relationship. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of educational counselling on sexual knowledge and attitude of pregnant women during 2014-2015. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 200 pregnant women referred to 5 health care centers in Kerman. The random allocation method was used to assign mothers to intervention (n=100) and control (n=100) groups. Data were collected by demographic information, sexual knowledge, and attitude questionnaires. Data were analyzed by paired and independent t test, Fisher exact test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation tests in SPSS software version 22.0. Results: The mean scores of sexual knowledge and attitude before educational counselling in intervention group were 33.7±15.44 and 50.09±10.88, respectively. Before the intervention, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in knowledge and attitude. One month after the counselling, the mean scores of knowledge and attitude in the intervention and control groups were respectively 79.03±8.71 and 67.88±8.62, indicating a significant difference (P<0.0001). Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the positive role of counseling and education in increasing knowledge and creating positive attitude towards sexual relationships in pregnant women.
Highlights
Sexual activity is a physiological need and plays an important role in life
The results showed that knowledge scores for the intervention group, before and one month after the intervention were 33.7 ± 15.44 and 79.03 ± 8.71, respectively, and there was a significant difference between the scores before and after the intervention (P < 0.0001), indicating a significant increase in the mean knowledge scores of the intervention group after counseling
The results obtained from a review by Heydari et al on couples’ knowledge and attitude towards sex during pregnancy showed that nearly 75% of pregnant women and 60% of their spouses are not informed about sex during pregnancy and demand sexual counseling during pregnancy [11]
Summary
Sexual activity is a physiological need and plays an important role in life. its absence does not seem a serious threat to life, it causes anxiety and severe psychological problems due to alterations in the individual’s mental image [1].Every person’s sexual response cycle is a multistage model in response to sexual stimulation, which includes excitement, sexual joy, intoxication, orgasm, loss of excitement, relaxation, and peace. Given that pregnancy is a critical stage in life and the woman needs more emotional support in this stage, couples’ inadequate information about sex during pregnancy and negative attitude towards sexual issues during this period cause problems for the individual [4]. Results: The mean scores of sexual knowledge and attitude before educational counselling in intervention group were 33.7 ± 15.44 and 50.09 ± 10.88, respectively. One month after the counselling, the mean scores of knowledge and attitude in the intervention and control groups were respectively 79.03 ± 8.71 and 67.88 ± 8.62, indicating a significant difference (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the positive role of counseling and education in increasing knowledge and creating positive attitude towards sexual relationships in pregnant women.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
