J Sex Med. 2026 Aug 5;23(9):qdag252. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdag252.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Deaf women frequently experience barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health information and communication-sensitive counseling services. Limited access to culturally appropriate sexual education may negatively affect sexual health literacy and sexual quality of life. Sexocorporel is a body-oriented sexual counseling approach integrating bodily awareness, emotional regulation, and relational communication; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness among deaf women remains limited.
AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of Sexocorporel-based sexual counseling on sexual health literacy and sexual quality of life among married deaf women of reproductive age.
METHODS: This parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted among 100 married women with congenital or prelingual deafness registered with the Welfare Organization of Hamadan Province, between December 2025 and April 2026. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 50) or control group (n = 50) using block randomization with allocation concealment. The intervention group received 4 weekly sessions of Sexocorporel-based sexual counseling with sign-language support, whereas controls received routine services only. Sexual health literacy and sexual quality of life were assessed at baseline and 1 month after the intervention using the Sexual Health Literacy for Adults Questionnaire and the Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire-Female, respectively. Data were analyzed using t-tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) (registration number: IRCT20251119068046N1).
OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was sexual health literacy. The secondary outcome was sexual quality of life.
RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups (P > .05). After adjustment for baseline values, the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher sexual health literacy scores across all domains and significantly better sexual quality of life compared with the control group (all P < .001). ANCOVA analyses demonstrated moderate-to-large intervention effect sizes.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Communication-adapted and body-oriented counseling interventions may improve access to effective sexual healthcare services for deaf women and help to reduce disparities in sexual health education.
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Strengths include the randomized controlled design, allocation concealment, blinded statistical analysis, and adaptation of the intervention to the communication needs of deaf women. Limitations include reliance on self-report measures, short-term follow-up, and recruitment from a single geographical setting.
CONCLUSION: Sexocorporel-based sexual counseling may represent an effective and communication-sensitive approach for improving sexual health literacy and sexual quality of life among married deaf women. Integrating disability-inclusive and visually accessible counseling approaches into sexual healthcare programs may contribute to more equitable sexual healthcare services for women with hearing disabilities.
PMID:42640874 | DOI:10.1093/jsxmed/qdag252
