The Effectiveness of “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy” on the Sexual Function and Schema of Postmenopausal Women

Sexual function is an important part of the life of postmenopausal women and changes in it, especially in menopause, can affect their health. The sexual function of postmenopausal women can be affected by various factors. The aim of this study was to determine the “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy” on sexual function and schemas in postmenopausal women.

The method of the present study was quasi-experimental and its design was pre-test-post-test-follow-up with the control group. The statistical population of the study included all postmenopausal women who referred to Zanjan Health Center in 2020 to receive services. 30 individuals who had a sexual function score less than 28 with a female "Female Sexual Function Index" were selected by purposive sampling and randomly selected (by lottery) in two intervention and control groups (15 in each group). Data were obtained with the "Female Sexual Function Index" and "Womenchr('39')s Sexual Self-Schema Scale" in the pre-test, post-test and follow-up stages of the intervention and control groups. Content validity was performed by qualitative method and reliability was performed by internal consistency method by calculating Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient. “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy” was presented to the intervention group in 8 sessions of 2 hours. Data were analyzed using SPSS. 24

The trend of changes in the intervention group compared to the control group in the measurement stages in the variables of sexual function (F= 25.259 and P= 0.001) and sexual schema (F= 4.355 and P= 0.021) significantly different (P< 0.05). About 42% and 12% of the observed differences in sexual function and sexual schema variables are due to group membership (intervention), respectively. To compare these changes over time, Bonferroni Subordinate Test was used. Changes between pretest and posttest, pretest with follow-up were significant only in the intervention group (P <0.05).

“Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy” has improved sexual function and schema in postmenopausal women. Therefore, it is recommended to use it to improve sexual function and sexual schema of postmenopausal women.