# The male-focused marital relationship enrichment and sexual well-being interventions: A scoping review

## TL;DR

This review explores interventions aimed at improving men's marital and sexual well-being, highlighting the need for more male-focused programs.

## Contribution

The study provides a scoping review of interventions targeting men's sexual and marital health, emphasizing cultural and gender-specific approaches.

## Key findings

- Only 8 studies met the inclusion criteria, with most focusing on sexual and reproductive health programs.
- Most studies involved heterosexual couples, suggesting a need for more inclusive male-focused interventions.
- Four studies were rated as high quality, indicating some effective methods exist but more research is needed.

## Abstract

There is an increasing need for sexual well-being and health promotion strategies that effectively engage men. Researchers have evaluated the efficacy of sexual and reproductive health-related and marital enhancement interventions in male-dominated societies. However, few have focused on culturally appropriate and gender-specific program effects.

This review aims to evaluate evidence of existing interventions aimed at enriching marital relationships and sexual well-being in adult men.

This scoping review was conducted by searching various databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, SID, and Noormags), and other available resources in both English and Persian languages. We located all publications up to January 2023 with no time restriction. Inclusion criteria were studies targeting men in the enrichment of marital and sexual relationships, which focus on marital/sexual enrichment, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) program, passionate relationship, or sexual satisfaction as the main outcomes. PRISMA guidelines were utilized in this review.

Of records 34,405 retrieved by searching, after removing duplicate articles, 8 articles were included based on the inclusion criteria. SRH program was the main focus of 6 articles. Marital and sexual enhancement were common areas of focus in 2 studies. Research methods included 2 semi-experimental, 3 clinical trials, 1 systematic review, 1 content analysis, and a mixed method. According to the assessment result, 4 articles were moderate and 4 were of high quality.

Our findings reveal that a small number of interventions specifically offering SRH or marital and sexual enhancement programs to men should be conducted. As the majority were heterosexual couples, we recommend male-focused programs recognizing men's sexuality.