Reproductive and Sexual Healthcare Needs Among Adults with Disabilities as Perceived by Social Workers

Linton, Kristen F.; Rueda, Heidi Lee Adams; Williams, Lela Rankin; Sandoval, Alex; Bolin, Sharon J.

doi:10.1007/s11195-015-9416-6

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Judging from our results, educational efforts need to be strengthened concerning issues of sexual health in social work programs. As sexual health is an important aspect of human health where social workers can make a positive difference [5][6][7], there is a strong motivation to increase the incorporation of elements of sexuality and sexual health in social work education. To ensure effective educational interventions it is necessary to consider the context of the social work education and future working area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The SA-SH does not include questions regarding the students' attitudes toward addressing sexual health for persons with physical or psychological dysfunctions. This limitation of the questionnaire presents an important field for further research, since previous research has shown the beneficial role of social workers in supporting adolescents with functional abilities to make empowered decisions regarding sexual health issues [7]. The high response rate strengthens the credibility of the results, but additional studies from other social work programs are needed to ensure the transferability of the results.…”

Section: Methodological Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, there seems to have been low commitment to integrating these issues into existing curricula in social education programs [5,6]. This is of interest since social workers are uniquely poised to inform about sexual health while taking into account the biopsychosocial needs of a person and supporting autonomy, right to intimacy, and client well-being [7]. Sexual health should also be included in the education of social work students, since clients expect social workers to be competent in this field [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Swedish Social Work Students’ Attitudes Toward Addressing Sexual Health Issues in Their Future Profession

2019

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Sexual health is an important area for social work. Social workers' failure to address sexual health issues in social work practice, due to experienced discomfort, may create barriers toward clients, and lead to their decreased health. Investigating social work students' attitudes toward sexual health, and their perceived competence in this area is crucial for developing social work education on sexual health issues. The aim of the present study was to explore Swedish social work students' attitudes and perceived competence and educational needs regarding communicating about sexual health in their future profession. A quantitative study using the Students' Attitudes toward Sexual Health (SA-SH) in a Swedish sample of 242 social work students. The students considered knowledge about sexual health as important for their future profession. The response patterns indicated that students considered themselves uncomfortable and insufficiently prepared to handle issues related to sexual health in their future profession, which may affect how they succeed in addressing the needs of their future clients. The conclusion of this study is that social work students are insufficiently prepared to address issues concerning sexual health in their future profession. Social work programs need to increase sexual health education as well as training in communicating about sexual health issues in order to meet the needs of the clients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodological Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Swedish Social Work Students’ Attitudes Toward Addressing Sexual Health Issues in Their Future Profession

2019

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“…Specifically, participants emphasized the need to improve the couples' communication skills. Furthermore, addressing sexuality in an empathic and non-judgmental way was advocated in the discussions, and it is fundamental to avoid further sexual victimization [40]. Combining both physical and psychological strategies is necessary to effectively help people with disabilities in developing a satisfying and pleasurable sexual life.…”

Section: Implications For Research and Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Through growing visibility, this group has contributed to deconstructing myths and spreading a political message that the right to have a sexual life is as important as the right to accessibility, employment and other basic rights. Health and social care professionals are increasingly recognizing the sexual health and sexual needs of people with disabilities, as well as their professionals' roles in promoting or inhibiting their sexual expression [38][39][40]. However, there is an overall lack of knowledge and skills amongst professionals, which is related to the discomfort and inability to manage questions to provide information [39,41,42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives of Portuguese People with Physical Disabilities Regarding Their Sexual Health: A Focus Group Study

2018

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The World Health Organization has considered sexual health as a major dimension of global health and a sexual right. However, the sexual health of people with physical disabilities is still poorly addressed by health and social care professionals, and it is very stigmatized by society. This study aimed to assess the perspectives of Portuguese people living with physical disabilities regarding issues affecting their sexual health. Nine women and 17 men with different physical disabilities participated in the study. Participants were recruited from a professional rehabilitation facility located in the North of Portugal and were assigned to four groups in one-hour sessions. Three main categories emerged from the content analysis: (1) meanings and beliefs regarding sexuality; (2) experiences of sexuality; (3) necessary changes. Despite the positive social changes towards sexuality, participants expressed that their sexual rights are still unfulfilled, as they live in a context that perpetuates their dependency. They pointed out low self-esteem, prejudice and social isolation, poor architectural accessibility and scarcity of financial support as some of the barriers to their lives and their sexual health. Finally, participants identified the main needs regarding their sexual health, such as: access to specialized information; training for health professionals. This study gives voice to people with physical disabilities and sheds light into both individual and contextual factors affecting their sexual health. Of utmost importance, this study draws attention to the need for reinforcing sexuality of people with disabilities in the social agenda and brings implications for future research and practice.

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Sexual and Reproductive Health of People with Physical Disabilities

Nguyen

Liamputtong

2022

Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health

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Reproductive and Sexual Healthcare Needs Among Adults with Disabilities as Perceived by Social Workers

Cited by 9 publications

References 19 publications

Swedish Social Work Students’ Attitudes Toward Addressing Sexual Health Issues in Their Future Profession

Swedish Social Work Students’ Attitudes Toward Addressing Sexual Health Issues in Their Future Profession

Perspectives of Portuguese People with Physical Disabilities Regarding Their Sexual Health: A Focus Group Study

Sexual and Reproductive Health of People with Physical Disabilities

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