Sexual Self-Esteem

Human identity and sense of self are heavily dependent on the body and its physical attributes. Accordingly, human evaluation of these physical characteristics affects thought, feeling, attitudes, perception and behavior, and bring about a diverse array of consequences. Though research findings have revealed that body image is associated with a number of mental, psychological, and behavioral deficiencies in life, the effect of this construct on variables of marital quality of conflicting couples is rarely investigated. Thus, the current research was an attempt to investigate the relationship between body image disturbance (BID) and two of its related sub-constructs, i.e. perceived partner’s ideal beauty (PPIB) and actual partners rating (APR) with sexual self-esteem (SEE) and quality of marital relationship (QMR). To this aim, 73 conflicting couples were selected through convenience and purpose sampling from a population of subjects referred to a counseling center in the city of Qom. These participants were administered appropriate scales on different variables. The data were collected and analyzed through SPSS. The results of Pearson’s correlation revealed a strong, negative correlation between the BID and the SEE, which was statistically significant (r = -.897, n = 73, p = .000). Also, a multiple regression analysis showed that both PPIB and APR statistically significantly predicted SSE, F (2, 70) = 145.927, p < .0005, R2= 0.807 and QMR, F (2, 70) = 97.758, p < .0005. R2= 0.736. It was concluded that in spite of a meager difference between husbands’ and wives’ views about body image, this variable and the two sub-constructs associated with it correlated with SEE and served as statistically significant predictors of SEE and QMR. These findings have implications for psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of individual and group training in sexual skills on sexual satisfaction and sexual self-esteem among women attending comprehensive health centers in Sanandaj. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60 women attending comprehensive health centers in Sanandaj, who were randomly assigned to three groups: individual training, group training, and control. Data collection tools included a demographic and obstetric questionnaire, the Hudson Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Sexual Self-Esteem Inventory–Short Form (SSEI-W-SF). Data were collected according to the objectives of the study and analyzed using STATA version 12. The significance level was set at 0.05. Findings: Based on the results, all three study groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. Four weeks after the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of sexual satisfaction in the individual training group showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05; p = 0.00). However, the mean satisfaction scores in the group training and control groups did not show a statistically significant difference. In all three groups, the mean and standard deviation of sexual self-esteem scores four weeks after training did not show a significant difference. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that individual-based training leads to an increase in sexual satisfaction. Utilizing this educational approach in comprehensive health centers can enhance women's sexual health and improve the dysfunctional cycle of family clinical relationships.