Abstract
In the Arab and Muslim countries, there are several taboos of sexuality. To overcome the latter, and to distinguish between cultural and scientific data, sexual education is a key measure, especially during medical studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of the Tunisian medical trainees and to identify their sources of information concerning sexuality. We conducted a survey among medical trainees of the faculty of medicine of Sfax, in Tunisia. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 171 and completed by 157 trainees (91.8%). The sources of knowledge about sexuality were: friends (81.5%; N = 128), internet (77.1%; N = 121), television and movies (68.2%; N = 107), courses at the faculty (40.1%; N = 63) and parents (22.9%; N = 36). The score of correct answers was higher than or equal to 75% for 28 trainees (17.8%). It was on average 63.3%. It was correlated with male gender (p = 0.006), being a second-year trainee (p = 0.017) and television and movies as a source of knowledge about sexuality (p = 0.008). Masturbation was considered pathological by 17.2% of participants (N = 27). A 5-min period of intercourse was deemed sufficient to have a female orgasm by 44 trainees (28%). Andropause and menopause are inconsistent with a satisfying sexuality according to 44.6% (N = 70) and 56.1% (N = 88) of the participants respectively.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to thank all the medical trainees who accepted to participate to this study. We also wish to thank Dr Sharaf Amir, a native English speaker and an international medical manager, for the proofreading.
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All procedures performed in our study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Appendix
Appendix
For the table below, please circle (T) if you think that the proposition is true and (F) if you think it is false:
Propositions | True or False | Correct answers |
|---|---|---|
Masturbation is pathological | T/F | False: It is normal as long as it is not compulsive |
Masturbation is the most frequent sexual behavior during adolescence | T/F | True |
Every teenager can have a transient homosexual orientation | T/F | True |
Sexual education should start at childhood | T/F | True |
Erogenous zones might be non-genital parts of the body | T/F | True |
Male and female erogenous zones are different | T/F | True |
Clitoris is a source of sexual pleasure for women | T/F | True |
Women need longer intercourse than men to reach orgasm | T/F | True |
The average duration of intercourse which allows women to reach orgasm is 5 min | T/F | False: The average duration is estimated at 15 min |
There are 2 types of female orgasm (clitoral and vaginal) | T/F | True |
Women need a refractory period, just like men | T/F | False: Women do not need any refractory period |
The couples reach a climax when they have simultaneous orgasms | T/F | False: The pleasure is the same whether the partners have their orgasms at the same time or not |
Contraception magnifies the difference between sexual pleasure and reproduction | T/F | True |
Nowadays, homosexuality is acknowledged as a mental disorder | T/F | False: It is not considered a disorder anymore |
Homosexuals must have psychological problems | T/F | False: Not necessarily |
The frequency of sexual intercourse usually decreases during pregnancy | T/F | True |
Breastfeeding women usually experience a decrease in sexual desire | T/F | True |
Physiologically, old men can have a sexual activity | T/F | True |
Physiologically, old women can have a sexual activity | T/F | True |
Andropause does not affect sexual satisfaction for men | T/F | False |
Menopause does not affect sexual satisfaction for men | T/F | False |
The necessary duration to get an erection lengthens as man ages | T/F | True |
Caresses are sufficient for the elderly | T/F | False: Old people also need to have sexual intercourse |
The frequency of sexual intercourse in the elderly is the same as for young people | T/F | False: this frequency decreases as one ages |
The longer the penis, the more virile the man | T/F | False: Virility does not depend on the penis size |
Anal sex is at high risk of sphincter damage | T/F | False |
Sildenafil (Viagra*) allows to have several sexual intercourse even if there is no more desire | T/F | False: Sildenafil cannot be efficient without desire |
We can prescribe sildenafil (Viagra*) without any precautions | T/F | False: There are specific precautions to take when prescribing sildenafil |
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Mâalej, M., Ben Thabet, J., Charfi, N. et al. Medical Trainees’ Readiness for the Promotion of Sexual Health in Tunisia: A Cross Sectional Study. Sexuality & Culture 22, 437–444 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-017-9471-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-017-9471-5