Postmenopoz Dönemdeki Kadınlara Plıssıt Modeline Göre Verilen Cinsel Danışmanlığın Kadınların Cinsel Fonksiyonlarına, Evlilik Uyumuna ve Cinsel Yaşam Kalitesine Etkisi

Abstract

Akbay-Kısa, A. S., The effect of sexual counseling given according to the PLISSIT model on sexual functions, marital adjustment and quality of sexual life of postmenopausal women. Hacettepe University Graduate School Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecological Nursing Programme, Doctorate Thesis, Ankara, 2021. This study was conducted as a randomized pretest-posttest study to examine the effect of sexual counseling based on the PLISSIT model on post-menopausal women’s sexual functions, marital adjustment and quality of sexual life. Sixty women (Experimental=30, Control=30) that applied to the menopause policlinic of a Women Diseases Training and Research Hospital were included in the study. Two women dropped out later, so the study was completed with 58 (Experimental=29, Control=29) women. Firstly, women were separated into two groups according to the cut-point of (26,55) in The Female Sexual Function Index (those who score 26,6 and above or 26,5 and below) and then these two groups were divided into intervention and control groups randomly. Data were collected with Descriptive Questions Form, The Female Sexual Function Index, Marital adjustment Scale and Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire Scale – Female Version between September 07, 2020 and March 26, 2021. Women were asked to fill the demographic questions form and survey forms based on their own self-evaluations while they were accompanied by the researcher. The intervention group was given sexual counselling, prepared in line with the PLISSIT model, for three weeks, once a week and lasting approximately one hour. The effect of the counseling was tested twelve weeks after counseling was completed. Women in the control group were also interviewed twice concurrent with the intervention group; once when the counseling began and once during the last assessment. During those interviews, women in the control group filled some data forms. After the study was completed, the counseling was also given to women who wanted it, in the control group. Frequency and percentage values, descriptive statistics, Fisher’s Exact Test, Pearson Chi Square, t tests, for non-normally distributed data Mann Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon test were used for data analysis. There were no significant differences between women in experimental and control groups in terms of their individual characteristics. The mean scores in the Menopause Symptom Evaluation Scale, Sexual Function, Quality of Sexual Life and Marital Adjustment Scale scores of women in experimental and control groups were also similar in the beginning (p>0,05). Mean scores in sexual function, marital adjustment and quality of sexual life of women in the experimental group increased significantly after the interviews ended (p<0,05). While there was no difference in Marital Adjustment Scale scores three months after the counseling between experimental and control groups (p>0,05) there were statistically significant differences in mean scores of Sexual Function and Quality of Sexual Life Scales (p<0,05). In line with these findings, it is suggested that a PLISSIT based sexual counseling be integrated into the health services given in post-menopausal period.

Keywords: Post-menopausal period, sexual counseling, PLISSIT model, nursing care