Abstract

The study aims to investigate how avoiding pregnancy influences marital adjustment and sexual life following two major disasters coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Türkiye. The study was conducted as follows 275 women in a hospital located in Malatya province, an area impacted by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Data were collected through the Participant Information Form, the Pregnancy Avoidance Scale (PAS), the Marital Adjustment Scale (MAS), and the Women's Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQLQ-F). After experiencing two consecutive disasters, several conditions were found to be associated with poorer sexual quality of life among women. These include not using any contraceptive method, avoiding sexual activity due to concerns about unintended pregnancy, shifts in sexual desire and intercourse frequency, engaging in sexual relations as infrequently as once per month, and perceiving the relationship with one’s spouse as less harmonious. The study also shows that the marriages of women who avoid pregnancy tend to display better marital harmony. It is recommended that healthcare professionals take appropriate measures to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the aftermath of disasters.

Key words: Avoidance, COVID-19 pandemic, earthquake, marital, natural disaster, pregnancy, sexuality