Summary:
INTRODUCTION: Young people often experience excessive stress that definitely
undermines their sexual health and leads them to the adaption of risky sexual
behaviors. The involvement of young people in risky sexual activities, in many
cases, ultimately aims to relieve excessive stress. As such, the design and
application of a program that can manage stress and improve the sexual health
of this particular age group is, undoubtedly, a crucial matter.
MATERIAL-METHOD: 60 students of the psychology department of the Panteion
University of Athens, sexually active and inactive alike, between the ages of
18-20, were randomly assigned in two groups. The first group (intervention
group) were given advice about stress and sexuality, they were trained in
relaxation techniques, time management, and they were given advice on how to
empower themselves, during an 8 weeks- program, whereas the second group
(control group) was given a brochure about stress, routine and sexuality. The
members of the survey were evaluated on their stress levels, their lifestyle,
their daily routine, their health standards, life experiences, and their levels
of satisfaction from their life as well as their sexual behavior, during the
early and the final stages of the study.
RESULTS: The initial hypothesis that the intervention would improve the sexual
life and the interpersonal relationships of the subjects was confirmed at some
point. While there were improvements in “Satisfaction from your sex health”
factor, there was no other statistically important difference in any of the
rest sexuality variables, between the intervention group and the control group.
During the evaluation process, the two groups showed statistically important
differences in the following variables: “I sleep easily” (p=0.011), “I wake up
feeling rested” (p=0.026), “Satisfaction from all aspects of life” (p=0.017),
“Stress symptoms” (p=0.011), “Internal health locus of control” (p=0.01), and
“General health evaluation” (p=0.09). Moreover, the comparisons within the
intervention group showed a reduction in the following variables: “BMI”
(p=0.011), “Do you have stress?” (p=0.011), “Chance” subscale of MHLC
(p=0.035), and “Stress symptoms” (p=0.001), while “Satisfaction from all sides
of life” (p=0.012) was increased and “Satisfaction from the sexual life”
(p=0.048) as well as “Routine” (p=0.013) were improved. Finally, the evaluation
process of the control group showed a statistically significant increase in the
“Chance” subscale of MHLC (p=0.026)
RESULTS: This particular study is the first randomized clinical intervention
that focuses on stress management and the improvement of sexual and general
health, applied to a sample of University students. It’s really important that
future studies will enrich existing studies in the field of young people
sexuality with the evaluation of stress biomarkers and with the meaningful
involvement of related organizations, so as to create a multivariate and
well-organized plan of action. That would establish the idea that young people
have to deal with their sexual lives in a more serious way, without any taboos
or prejudices.
Keywords:
sexual health, stress, young adults, stress management, health promotion
