The Effect of Sexual Counselling Based on PLISSIT and BETTER Model After Hysterectomy

Kutahya Health Sciences University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sexual Health Quality of Life; Sexual Health; Hysterectomy; Sexual Function; PLISSIT Model

Treatments: Behavioral: Sexual counseling based on the BETTER model; Behavioral: Sexual counseling based on the PLISSIT model

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06609096

908520

Details and patient eligibility

About

Sexuality is affected by several physiological, cultural, social, and psychological factors. Hysterectomy is one of the factors that affects sexuality. Evidence suggests that hysterectomy, affects the sexual function of women. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of sexual counseling based on the PLISSIT and BETTER models on sexual function and quality of sexual life of women after hysterectomy. This study is a randomized controlled trial with a three-arm parallel design. One of the experimental groups will receive sexual counseling based on the PLISSIT model and the other will receive sexual counseling based on the BETTER model. The control group will not receive any intervention. The difference between the intervention groups and the control group will be evaluated.

Full description

Nurses are integral members of the health care team in providing care and counseling for sexual health. The provision of education and counseling services to enhance sexual health and research on the subject play significant roles for nurses. In this context, nurses should facilitate up-to-date information dissemination to clients by investigating sexual counseling models. Furthermore, nurses have crucial duties and responsibilities for maintaining evidence-based care practices that utilize these models. Addressing sexual life and adopting a holistic approach to nursing care services are essential considerations. The utilization of models is recommended to assist nurses in evaluating sexuality of patients, which is a sensitive subject, in an appropriate manner and to provide them with the most suitable care in this regard. One such model was the PLISSIT Model. The PLISSIT Model was employed to assess and improve sexual health in patients with breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, gynecologic cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus, HIV-positive status, and stoma. Additionally, it is actively used in different life stages of women such as pregnancy and postpartum period. In the literature, the results of studies in which sexual counseling based on the PLISSIT model was applied to women undergoing hysterectomy indicate that the model has positive effects on sexual function and quality of sexual life. However, the PLISSIT model has limitations, such as the requirement for skills at the fourth stage of sexual rehabilitation at the 4th stage and its linearity (progressing from one level to another). One of the alternative approaches in sexual counseling is the BETTER Model due to its specific emphasis on developing dialogues on sexual health and the importance of sexual issues. This model has been utilized in the literature to provide sexual counseling to women with multiple sclerosis, women with breast cancer, infertile women, and postpartum women. However, no study was identified in the literature in which sexual counseling based on the BETTER model was provided to women with hysterectomy. Evidence of the effectiveness of model-based sexual counseling in women with sexual dysfunction after hysterectomy is insufficient.

Enrollment: 52 patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Having a sexual partner
• Sexual intercourse within the last month,
• A score below 26.55 on the Female Sexual Function Scale,
• At least 3 months after the hysterectomy operation,
• No previous radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment,
• Not having any communication problems (mental, auditory, visual, etc.),
• Not being involved in any other sexuality-related treatment program,
• Becoming literate,
• Having a smartphone,
• Access to the Internet
• Volunteering to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Different treatment protocols due to malignancy (radiotherapy and chemotherapy or additional surgical treatment of the reproductive organs)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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52 participants in 3 patient groups

PLISSIT Group

Experimental group

Description:

Women assigned to the sexual counseling group based on the PLISSIT model will receive four sessions in total, once a week. Each session consisted of an average of 30 min. Sessions will be conducted online as individual counselling sessions. The Plissit model was used based on a four-stage approach. These stages are (P-Permission): Permission, (Ll- Limited Information), providing limited information (SS-Specific Suggestions): Giving specific suggestions, (IT- Intensive Therapy): Intensive Therapy. In this study, the first three stages of the model will be applied. After the first three stages of the model are implemented, women with ongoing sexual problems are referred to specialized sexual therapists for intensive treatment/therapy.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Sexual counseling based on the PLISSIT model

BETTER Group

Experimental group

Description:

Women assigned to the sexual counseling group based on the BETTER model will receive four sessions in total, once a week. Each session will consist of 30 minutes on average. Better model consists of Bring up the topic, Explain, Telling, Timing, Education and Recording steps. The sessions will be conducted online as individual counselling sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Sexual counseling based on the BETTER model

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Women in the control group will not receive any intervention.