The efficacy of sexual skills training on sexual health among first-grade secondary school adolescent girls in Tehran

Background: Acquiring sexual skills can play a significant role in individual and societal health. Low levels of sexual knowledge, incorrect attitudes in this area, and the absence of sexual skills can pave the way for risky behaviors. A review of the literature in this field reveals that sexual education has largely been neglected in Iran. Aims: The aim of the present study was to examine the efficacy of sexual skills education on sexual health among adolescent girls enrolled in first-grade high schools in Tehran. Methods: The current research design was semi-experimental, using a pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population of the study included all 15-year-old female students of Fadak School in District 18 of Tehran in the academic year 2018-2019. According to Cohen's (1986) suggested method, 30 participants were selected conveniently and randomly assigned into two groups (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group). Participants completed the Sexual Health (Manavipour et al., 2013). The data were analyzed using covariance analysis in SPSS version 26. Results: Covariance analysis results showed a significant difference at the 0.01 level between the variables of sexual health in the experimental and control groups in both the pretest and posttest stages. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained regarding the effectiveness of sexual skills education, psychologists and practitioners in this field are encouraged to incorporate sexual skills education alongside their intervention programs and prioritize student needs when designing sexual health education programs.