The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling on Sexual Function in Women with Breast Cancer: An Interventional Study

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. This can expose all aspect of their life including sexual function. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of cognitive-behavioral counseling on sexual function in women with breast cancer.

This study was an interventional per-test, post-test design with control group. One hundred women with breast cancer referring to Maxa center in Esfahan at the time of data collection were conventionally selected in 2020. They were randomly divided into intervention and control groups (n=50), using permuted blocks. The intervention group receiving cognitive-behavioral counseling in 10 one-hour, sessions twice a week. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire, filled out by patients before and one month after intervention. Data analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test, and chi-square. Significance level was considered P <0.05.

The results showed that cognitive-behavioral counseling group therapy improved total sexual functioning and its subscales. Four weeks after the counseling, there was a significant difference in mean scores of total sexual functions between the two groups (P = 0.001).  In the intervention group the mean scores for lubrication and dyspareunia did not show a significant difference in post-test results (P = 0.129, P = 0.89, respectively).

Cognitive - behavioral group therapy can be improved total sexual functioning and its subscales in the intervention group one month after the intervention. So, this method can be used besides with medical treatment as a complementary therapy in oncology wards.