The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Women

Background & aim: Sexual function is an important part of the life of postmenopausal women and its changes, especially in menopause, can affect their health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on sexual function in postmenopausal women. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test and follow-up design with control group. The statistical population of the study included all postmenopausal women who referred to Zanjan Health Center in 2020 to receive services. First, 50 available postmenopausal women completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire, which included 19 questions of 5-choice. Among them, 30 women (sample size was selected based on the minimum sample size in the experimental studies), which were at an unfavorable level according to the cut-off point criteria, were selected and randomly divided into two groups of 15 women including intervention and control groups. The intervention was performed based on acceptance and commitment therapy in 8 sessions of 2 hours and post-test was performed immediately after the end of treatment and follow-up three months later in both groups. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and analysis of variance with repeated measures in SPSS-24 software. Results: The mean scores of sexual functions in the intervention group were 21.66 in pre-test, 26.29 in post-test and 27.11 in follow-up, which their difference was considered statistically significant (p<0.05 and F=19.452). The mean score of sexual function in control group was 22.31 in pre-test, 23.28 in post-test and 22.70 in follow-up, which were not statistically significant. The mean scores of sexual functions were also changed significantly between the intervention and control groups (p<0.05 and F=12.115). This means that treatment based on acceptance and commitment had a significant effect on sexual function in postmenopausal women. Also, except for domains of lubrication and orgasm, it had a significant effect on other domains of sexual function (p<0.05). Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment therapy has improved sexual function in postmenopausal women.