The Effect of Educational-Behavioral Intervention on Body Image and Sexual Satisfaction of Transgender Women: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Dissatisfaction with physical appearance can cause problems in experiencing sexual satisfaction. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, we analyzed the effects of an educational-behavioral online intervention on transgender women’s body image satisfaction and sexual satisfaction from December 2020 to March 2021, when the data collection of the study was completed in Tehran, Iran. 70 transgender women who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the control group and the experimental groups (i.e., 35 in each group). Both groups first received routine training and then the experimental group received four 90-minute training sessions. In both groups, body image satisfaction (as a primary outcome) and sexual satisfaction of transgender women (as a secondary outcome) were evaluated by questionnaire prior to the intervention and three months after the intervention. Independent and paired t-test were used for data analysis, and the significance level was considered P < 0.05. According to the research findings, the educational-behavioral intervention improved transgender women’s body images but had no effects on their sexual satisfaction. More research is recommended because having a larger and more diverse sample (samples with different cultures and socioeconomic status) may provide a better understanding of the underlying socio-cultural influence on body image and sexual satisfaction. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCTID: IRCT20201114049379N1) (date of registration 13/01/2021).