Effect of combined psycho-physiological stretching and breathing therapy on sexual satisfaction

Abstract

Background: During the last few decades, marital tensions and stresses have influenced various dimensions of life. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of combined psycho-physiological therapy (stretching therapy combined with breathing exercise) on sexual satisfaction among heterosexual men. Methods. For this research, we used "convenience sampling" to select 80 males, who were then split equally into two groups, the intervention group and the control group, both groups containing men who had voiced a desire to be in the experimental group. For collection of data, we used an identical quasi-experimental design called the "nonequivalent control group." Therapy sessions, each lasting 90 to 120 min, were carried out on the same 3 days of the week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday) for a total of 20 sessions. The volunteers were selected from heterosexual men with stable relationships, who had been married a minimum of 6 months and were ages 20 to 55 years of age. Pre-tests, post-tests, and follow-up tests were conducted in a clinic at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM §ssup§[1] §esup§). For assessment, we used the sexual satisfaction subscale of the ENRICH §ssup§[2]§esup§ questionnaire. Results: The intervention group had better post-test scores than the control group. Also, follow-up test scores for the intervention group were marginally better than those for the control group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Combined psycho-physiological therapy including stretching and breathing exercise leads to improved sexual satisfaction. © 2013 Bay et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.