The impact of sexual myths and body image on the quality of sexual life during pregnancy
Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/14681994.2026.2665397
- Dergi Adı: Sexual and Relationship Therapy
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Psycinfo, Violence & Abuse Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO), Sociology Database (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Sexual myths, body image, quality of life, pregnancy
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This descriptive correlational study was conducted to determine the effect of sexual myths and body image on the quality of sexual life during pregnancy. The study was conducted with 1023 pregnant women living in a provincial centre in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate. A descriptive information form, the Sexual Myths in Pregnancy Scale (SMPS), the Sexual Quality of Life–Female (SQLQ-F) Questionnaire, and the Body Perception Scale (BPS) were used to collect the data. Ethics committee approval, institutional approval, and informed consent of the participants were obtained. The mean SMPS score of the pregnant women was 48.31 ± 12.31, the mean SQLQ-F score was 77.56 ± 20.46, and the mean BPS score was 153.30 ± 25.75. There was a weak negative and statistically significant relationship between the SMPS and SQLQ-F and BPS scores (p < 0.001). A weak positive relationship was also found between SQLQ-F and BPS (p < 0.001). SMPS and SQLQ-F had a statistically significant effect on BPS among pregnant women (p < 0.001). Pregnant women’s body image significantly predicted sexual quality of life and explained 10.8% of the changes in sexual quality of life scores (p < 0.001). Reducing sexual myths in pregnant women may enhance both sexual quality of life and body image.