The Effectiveness of Relaxation Training in Improving Sexual Function in Women with Vaginismus

Abstract

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of relaxation training in improving sexual function in women with vaginismus in Tehran. Method: The present study was quasi-experimental and had a pretest-posttest and follow-up design with experimental and control groups and examined 18 women with vaginismus, who visited Mehravar counseling center, and the accompanying group in Tehran in the summer of 2016. Among the participants, we selected 18 women, who had vaginismus based on the sexual function questionnaire by Rosen et al. (2000) and clinical interviews, using convenience sampling, and randomly divided them into experimental (n=8) and control (n=8) groups. Women in the experimental group participated in an individual and group relaxation training course during six 2-hour sessions per week, and women in the control group received no intervention. We collected data and analyzed them using the repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: The results indicated that relaxation training was effective in improving female sexual function (F= 79.58, P=0.001) and the effect was stable in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: relaxation training decreased anxiety and fear of intercourse in women with vaginismus after the end of treatment sessions and after a two-month follow-up period.