Evaluation and Comparison of the Effectiveness of Communication and Marital Skills Training on Marital Conflicts and Sexual Performance of Female Students

Background: Conflicting couples due to lack of marital communication skills experience many problems in the level of sexual function and quality of marital life. However, there is still no consensus on the etiology and, consequently, effective treatment and education strategies among specialists. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of communication and marital skills training on marital conflicts and the sexual performance of female students Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all female students with marital problems of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, in 2020. The research sample consisted of 45 female students who were selected by voluntary sampling method and randomly assigned to three groups (two experimental and one control groups). The data were collected using Sanai et al.’s Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ) and Rosen et al.’s Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings: Communication and marital skills training was effective in increasing sexual function and reducing marital conflicts in the experimental group compared to the control group, and a significant difference was found between the two educational strategies in the post-test and follow-up stages (P < 0.01). Communication skills training was more effective in marital conflict and marital skills training was more effective in improving women's sexual function. Conclusion: Communication and marital (sexual) skills training leads to increased sexual function and reduced marital conflict in women, and family therapists can use this educational method to improve the marital relationship of Iranian couples.