THERAPEUTIC EDUCATION of SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS in WOMEN SURVIVORS of SEXUAL VIOLENCE and FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Overview

Violence against women is a problem that affects women all over the planet, causing physical, emotional, and other repercussions for its survivors. Pelvic floor dysfunctions, especially female sexual dysfunctions, are among the most common physical consequences for women who have suffered sexual violence or female genital mutilation. Pelvic floor physiotherapy is the first-line treatment for these dysfunctions, with therapeutic education being one of its main strategies due to its importance in the cognitive approach and for promoting patient adherence to the proposed treatments. Women who are survivors of sexual violence and female genital mutilation, being at risk for these disorders, express the need to receive information about these dysfunctions and their possible treatments. However, it has been shown that their knowledge in this regard is limited. Therefore, a project is proposed with the objective of determining the effectiveness of an intervention based on therapeutic education in the prevention and management of sexual dysfunctions secondary to sexual violence or female genital mutilation. A group educational program is proposed, which allows survivor women to address these dysfunctions in a non-invasive way. Six sessions are planned to promote the development of various competencies: communicating their needs, integrating knowledge about their health problem, identifying and analyzing, decision-making and know-how, problem-solving, using healthcare resources and asserting their rights. This will provide these women a safe space to share their experiences, learn to manage them, acquire knowledge about the pelvic floor, related dysfunctions and their treatment, as well as self-efficacy tools for dealing with sexual dysfunctions.