Sexual Issues within Occupational Therapy, Part 2: Implications for Education and Practice

Couldrick, Lorna

doi:10.1177/030802269906200107

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Earlier studies tended to focus on discipline specific rather than on interprofessional or multidisciplinary training [4,[14][15][16][17]. The influence of practitioner training on knowledge and attitudes in the field of intellectual disability [10] and on knowledge, comfort and attitudes in the field of spinal cord injury rehabilitation has been shown [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Study of Sexuality Training for the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team

et al. 2010

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Discipline specific and multidisciplinary training programs have been developed to provide practitioners working in health and disability fields with various combinations of knowledge, skills, attitudes and practitioner comfort important for such discussions. There is little, however, which demonstrates the long term effectiveness of such training programs. The current study is a 2-year follow-up to a randomized controlled trial that examined the effectiveness of a sexuality training program for rehabilitation practitioners working within spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Using both questionnairebased and qualitative data, findings suggest that training can have long-lasting effects on practitioner knowledge, comfort and attitudes in addressing sexuality issues with clients. Training that is developed around the individualized needs of practitioners and the settings within which they work may be particularly effective. Future research is needed to explore the applicability of this type of training to other rehabilitation and healthcare settings.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Study of Sexuality Training for the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team

et al. 2010

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“…Occupational therapists work towards helping individuals to reach their maximum level of function and independence in many aspects of their life. According to Couldrick (1999) the client's sexual expression is a legitimate domain of the occupational therapist's professional concern and '…sexual activity is as much at the heart of its purpose as personal care, work and leisure' (Couldrick, 1999: 218). In a survey conducted by Nordholm et al (1995) of 378 occupational therapists in Australia, the majority of participants endorsed a humanistic, holistic approach to health care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of researchers have reported that health professionals are not always comfortable when dealing with sexual issues that arise in client's care (Guthrie, 1999;Herson et al, 1999;Evans, 2000). In particular they may feel uneasy and unprepared to deal with these interactions (Hayter, 1996;Weerakoon and O'Sullivan, 1998;Couldrick, 1999, Guthrie, 1999O'Sullivan and Weerakoon, 1999;Schneider et al, 1999). For example, health professional students have been found to be uncomfortable when dealing with clients whose sexual orientation differs from their own (Eliason and Raheim, 2000) or with clients who have AIDS (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of occupational therapy students' attitudes towards sexual issues in clinical practice

2005

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The purpose of this study was to examine the level of comfort of 340 occupational therapy students during clinical interactions that have sexual implications. Participants completed the Comfort Scale Questionnaire to indicate their anticipated level of comfort. More than half of the students anticipated that they would not feel comfortable in dealing with sexual issues. The three items that students indicated as being most uncomfortable with were 'Walking in on a patient/client who is masturbating' (91.7%), 'Dealing with a patient/client who makes an overt sexual remark' (82.1%) and 'Dealing with a patient/client who makes a covert sexual remark' (77.2%). The three items which students felt relatively comfortable with were 'Homosexual male' (26.4%), '14-year-old female seeking contraception' (26.4%) and 'Handicapped individual who is inquiring about sexual options' (33.5%). At least half the senior students believed that their educational programme had not dealt adequately with sexual issues. Further research investigating the nature and origin of discomfort in clinical settings is recommended as well as research examining the effectiveness of sexuality education in increasing comfort in dealing with sexual issues in clinical settings.

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“…Yet it is reported that sexuality issues are infrequently addressed during rehabilitation (2,4,6,8). This is at odds with the perception that staff members in SCI rehabilitation recognize this frequently unmet need and support sexuality interventions (4,9,10).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Literature which supports sexuality training tends to be focused on single disciplinary knowledge rather than the interdisciplinary team (4,5,9,10,13). Disciplinary education is important but neglects the varying levels of expertise a team can contribute and the patient's selective interaction with those professionals who they feel most comfortable with, regardless of their discipline.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Effectiveness of a Sexuality Training Program for the Interdisciplinary Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Team

et al. 2005

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While there is evidence to support consideration of client sexuality needs in the provision of rehabilitation services to people with spinal cord injury (SCI), the interdisciplinary team rarely receives training in this area. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a consumer-driven sexuality training program in improving staff knowledge, comfort (general and personal) and attitudes. Using a local needs assessment to identify training needs and the Permission, Limited Information, Specific Suggestions and Intensive Therapy (PLISSIT) model as a training framework, a sexuality training program was developed in one Australian SCI service. A randomized controlled trial was conducted and significant improvement was found in all domains for the treatment group -Knowledge(χ 2 = 46.141, p < 0.001), Comfort (χ 2 = 23.338, p < 0.001), Approach(χ 2 = 23.925, p < 0.001) and Attitude (χ 2 = 15.235, p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Changes were found to be maintained at three month follow-up -Knowledge (Z = −5.116, p < 0.001), Comfort (Z = −3.953, p < 0.001), Approach (Z = −4.103, p < 0.001) and Attitudes (Z = −2.655, p < 0.001). These results support the use of an individualized needs-based sexuality training program in fostering staff knowledge, comfort and attitudinal change in an interdisciplinary SCI rehabilitation service.

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Sexual Issues within Occupational Therapy, Part 2: Implications for Education and Practice

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

A Longitudinal Study of Sexuality Training for the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team

A Longitudinal Study of Sexuality Training for the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team

Survey of occupational therapy students' attitudes towards sexual issues in clinical practice

The Effectiveness of a Sexuality Training Program for the Interdisciplinary Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Team

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