Relationship between sexual myth and sexual attitudes in Turkish women and associated factors: A correlational study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Sexual myths are exaggerated, false, and unscientific beliefs and thoughts about sexuality. Sexual myths are generally more prevalent in conservative societies. Sexual myths can affect our attitude towards sexuality. This study was conducted to determine the relationship and related factors between sexual myths and sexual attitudes among women in Türkiye. MATERIAL and METHODS: This research is a relational and descriptive study. The study was conducted with 150 women who applied to the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinics in Türkiye between May and July 2022. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Sexual Myth Scale (SMS), and the Brief Sexual Attitude Scale (BSAS). The data were analyzed with IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows program version 22. Numbers, percentages, minimum and maximum values, averages, standard deviations, and some statistical analyses were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Participants scored 73.90±17.56 points on the SMS and 80.58±7.59 points on the Hendrick Sexual Attitudes Scale. According to the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, the difference between the mean total scores of the SMS was statistically significant (p<0.05). Still, the difference between the mean total scores of the Hendrick Sexual Attitude Scale was not statistically significant (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between the SMS and the Hendrick Sexual Attitude Scale (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Increasing women’s knowledge about sexuality and providing continuous education on this subject will help to reduce sexual myths. It is important to address sexual attitudes separately to develop positive sexual attitudes in women. Keywords: attitude, beliefs, sexuality, Türkiye, women