Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the role of the perception of spousal support in sexual satisfaction and sexual quality of life of primigravidas. METHODS: This study used a descriptive and correlational design and consisted of 412 primigravidas. The target population of the study was pregnant women who presented to an obstetrics and gynecology clinic of a hospital located in a province on the Anatolian side of Turkey. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews using the "Personal Information Form," "Perception of Spousal Support in Pregnancy Scale," "New Sexual Satisfaction Scale," and "Sexual Quality of Life Scale-Female" between December 05, 2022 and March 31, 2023. The study included primigravida women, being above the age of 18 years, being in the last trimester of pregnancy, being married and living with their spouses, being literate, pregnant women and their spouses not having been previously diagnosed with sexual dysfunction, not having become pregnant with infertility treatment, and not diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy..". The data obtained from the study were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 27.0 program. Data analysis included numbers, percentage distributions, interquartile range, Pearson correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. Statistical significance was accepted at p<0.05. RESULTS: A good level of positive correlation was found between the Perception of Spousal Support in Pregnancy Scale and New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (r=0.972; p<0.001) mean scores, between the Perception of Spousal Support in Pregnancy Scale and Sexual Quality of Life Scale-Female (r=0.967; p<0.001) mean scores, and between the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale and Sexual Quality of Life Scale-Female (r=0.947; p<0.001) mean scores of primigravida women. The perception of spousal support was found to explain 97% of sexual quality of life and sexual satisfaction during pregnancy (F=6628.666; R2=0.970). CONCLUSION: The increase in the perception of spousal support during pregnancy also increases primigravida women's sexual satisfaction and sexual quality of life.