title: Effect of Sexual Counseling on Marital Satisfaction of Pregnant Women Referring to Health Centers in Malayer (Iran): An educational randomized experimental study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One of the most important factors in marital satisfaction is the satisfaction of a healthy sexual relationship between spouses. During pregnancy marital satisfaction may decrease due to sexual problems. Sexual counseling to pregnant women may reduce the complications of these problems at this time. This study aimed to investigate the effects of sexual counseling on marital satisfaction of pregnant women. This article is sponsored by the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.
  
  
  METHODS
  This educational randomized experimental study was conducted on 80 pregnant women referring to health centers of Malayer. Samples were two groups of experimental and control, with forty participants in each group, four consultation sessions were held, and each session lasted 40 to 90 minutes Data gathering tools were demographic questionnaire and Enriching Relationship Issues Communication and Happiness (ENRICH), a short form of marital satisfaction questionnaire with 47 items. Data were analyzed by Software SPSS 22 and the results were compared by independent t-test, chi-square test, and repeated measure ANOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing the marital satisfaction mean scores in the experimental group showed a significant difference between pre-consultation, and the consultation after two and four weeks. Marital satisfaction score of 8.05 ± 51.20 before the consultation was increased to 7.76 ± 54.52 after two weeks and 6.48 ± 59.20 after four weeks (respectively p < 0.001, p < 0.001). In addition, mean and standard deviation of marital satisfaction in the control group before the intervention, two weeks and four weeks after the intervention were respectively 10.10 ± 45.67, 11.75 ± 47.75, and 10.02 ± 46.30 and Bonferroni post hoc test showed a significant difference between before and two weeks after intervention (p = 0.03). However, marital satisfaction before and four weeks after the intervention was not significant (p = 0.59). The results showed that sexual counseling was associated with marital satisfaction and was effective in its promotion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sexual counseling can be used as a method of intervention in sexual relationship of spouses particularly in marital dissatisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Reproductive Health, Assistant Professor, Mother & Child Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyedeh Zahra
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Masoumi
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. Candidate of Reproductive Health, Department of Midwifery & Reproductive Health, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kazemi
authors.affiliation: M.Sc. consultation in midwifery, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Behnaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nejati
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Community Health, Associate Professor, Department of Mother and Child Health, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parsa
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Epidemiology, Associate Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Manoochehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karami
keywords: Marital satisfaction; Pregnancy; Sexual counseling; Sexual satisfaction