Introduction. Iran is confronted with increasing trend of divorce in recent decades. Considering the probable role of sexual dissatisfaction in the breakdown of marriages, the Ministry of Health recently decided to enrich the educational content of the premarital education programmes. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the new program with the classic one. Methods. Three hundred fifty-one women were divided into two premarital education groups: classic education and new education . The mental health, quality of life, marital satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction of women were evaluated one year after marriage. Results. At one-year followup, both groups showed improvement in mental health ; however physical health-related quality of life decreased in both groups. The two groups showed no significant difference in terms of sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction showed significant correlation with sexual satisfaction . Conclusion. The new program of premarital education showed no superiority over the classic method. Considering the increasing rate of divorce in Iran, the premarital education programmes may not be successful in achieving their goals. Revision of the premarital education programme is warranted. 1. Introduction As the backbone of society, marriage is considered to be one of the most important institutions in the world [1]. In most societies, be it in the East or West, most people marry at some stage during their life [1, 2]. There are a variety of motives behind marriage, among them being the need for friendship, social and emotional support, love, and sex [3]. Of course, it should be considered that in marriage, unlike in cohabitation, emotional satisfaction with sex is important due to the couples’ commitment toward each other [3]. However, everybody, regardless of his/her motives for marriage, expects a healthier and happier life after marriage. More recently, divorce and marital instability are an increasing trend in Iran; while most countries with the highest divorce rates are in the West, Iran is also considered a high-divorce country [4]. In 2011, the rate of divorce in Iran was 2.5 per 1000 people, which is even higher than the divorce rates in some western countries such as Ireland, Italy, and Spain. In Tehran, the capital of Iran, more than 30% of marriages end in divorce [4]. There are different reasons for the increasing divorce rates in Iran, including rapid socioeconomic changes resulting from modernization and urbanization, women’s empowerment, and a decreasing stigma
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