Effects of sexual counseling and education based on self-efficacy theory on the sexual function of women with breast cancer

Background: The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are associated with side effects that can affect patients' self-efficacy and various aspects of their quality of life, including their sexual function. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of sexual counseling and education based on self-efficacy theory on the sexual function of women with breast cancer. Method: This randomized controlled trial used a pretest, posttest, control group, and one-month follow-up design. It included 45 female breast cancer survivors, recruited from the clinics and hematology wards of Bushehr, Iran. The inclusion criterion was that at least three months should have passed since the last chemotherapy/radiotherapy. The participants were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received two training sessions and three counseling sessions based on efficacy theory. A demographic information form and a female sexual function index questionnaire were used for data collection, and the participants completed the questionnaire in the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, repeated-measures ANOVA, and Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) test were used to analyze the data. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: At the posttest stage, statistically significant improvements were noted in the intervention group for arousal (P<0.001), orgasm (P = 0.008), sexual satisfaction (P<0.001), and overall FSFI score (P<0.001), which did not have a significant statistical difference until the follow-up stage. In the control group, the overall FSFI score, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction decreased at follow-up compared to those of the pretest and posttest. Conclusion: The scores of overall FSFI and most of its domains were higher in the experimental group than in the control group, an ability that can be attributed to the effect of sexual education and counseling. It is recommended to use this non-invasive, low-cost, and easy method together with other medical procedures.