The Effect of Positive psychology (optimistic) based Counseling on Sexual and Marital Satisfaction among Reproductive Aged Women during Corona Pandemic: A Experimental Study

Abstract

Background and purpose: sexual and marital satisfaction in women is one of the important factors in mental health and quality of life in couples. With the start of the covid-19 pandemic and the increase in the level of general anxiety and stress, people's satisfaction with sex life has decreased, and the need to use psychological interventions in health crises is felt more than ever. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of counseling with a positive approach on sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction of reproductive age women during the Corona pandemic. Materials and methods: This experimental study was conducted on 72 married women of reproductive age in Tabriz, Iran. The participants were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group attended seven 60-90 minutes counseling sessions at weekly intervals. The Individual-social, midwifery, Spielberger anxiety, sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction questionnaires were completed before and 4 weeks after the intervention. Findings: The results of this study indicate that after counseling, the average overall score of marital satisfaction [MD: 15.46, 95% CI: (7.47 to 23.41), (P=0.034)] and Sexual satisfaction [MD: 7.83, 95% CI: (6.25 to 9.41), (P=0.001)] significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group. Also, the mean score of overt anxiety [MD: -2.50, 95% CI: (-4.19 to -0.80), (P=0.001)] and latent anxiety [MD: -1.03, 95% CI: (-2.46 to -0.09), (P=0.032)] significantly decreased after counseling in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate the effectiveness of counseling based on a positive approach on reducing anxiety and improving sexual and marital satisfaction of women of reproductive age during the Corona pandemic. Therefore, it is recommended to provide psychological interventions to improve women's health, maintain the family center and prevent mental disorders in similar crises in the form of health programs of health centers.