Sexuality and Occupational Therapy: Exploring the Link

Abstract

Holism is perceived to be one of the major tenets of occupational therapy. This article discusses the relevance of sexuality to holistic health care and contributes to the continuing discussion regarding the legitimacy of sexuality as an area of concern for occupational therapists. Sexuality is an important part of the human experience and is linked closely with spirituality. However, it is often neglected by occupational therapists. The article explores the occupational nature of sexuality and demonstrates its connection with the core concept of occupation. Moreover, considering the importance of spirituality in holistic care, the article also presents an overview of the relationship between sexuality and spirituality and illustrates sexuality as a dynamic identity component. It is proposed that occupational therapists should recognise sexuality and its importance in the individual's life and incorporate it into therapy.

Exploring the Activity of Daily Living of Sexual Activity: A Survey in Occupational Therapy Education

“…Sexual activity is defined in the Framework as "engaging in activities that result in sexual satisfaction and/or meet relational or reproductive needs" (AOTA, 2014, p. S10). This definition encompasses the holistic approach that therapists should take toward intervention with the ADL of sexual activity (Sakellariou & Algado, 2006), as enhancing satisfaction with sexual activity is a crucial factor to maintain an overall quality of life for people with disabilities (Turner, Schöttle, Krueger, & Briken, 2015).…”

“…Failing to address sexual activity may compromise occupational therapy intervention and lead to poor therapeutic outcomes (Sakellariou & Algado, 2006). The exclusion of sexual activity in practice may be due to such barriers as discomfort (Jones, Weerakoon, & Pynor, 2005;Weerakoon et al, 2004), opinions regarding the relevance of sexual activity (Sakellariou & Algado, 2006), and a lack of resources and formal training (Neistadt, 1986).…”

“…The exclusion of sexual activity in practice may be due to such barriers as discomfort (Jones, Weerakoon, & Pynor, 2005;Weerakoon et al, 2004), opinions regarding the relevance of sexual activity (Sakellariou & Algado, 2006), and a lack of resources and formal training (Neistadt, 1986). In addition, Couldrick (1998) found that many occupational therapists did not address sexual activity due to a lack of formal education.…”

Why Has So Little Progress Been Made in the Practice of Occupational Therapy in Relation to Sexuality?

“…We suggest that the failure of occupational therapists to address sexuality reflects a professional enactment of both a social discourse that prizes "corporeal wholeness and predictability above any form of bodily anomaly" (Shildrick, 2007, p. 54) and a professional construction of occupation that is based on "the way of life and associated ideology of middle-class, white, economically secure Westerners" (Kantartzis & Molineux, 2011, p. 73). Combined, these discourses mean that despite the wishes of disabled people (Shildrick, 2007) and a stated professional commitment to holistic practice (Hammell, 2009;Sakellariou & Simo Algado, 2006b), occupational therapists continue to exclude sexuality from everyday practice.…”

“…In this way of life, intense activity underpinned by hard work took on a central role, and the desires of the individual were subjugated to the will of God (Kantartzis & Molineux, 2011). In this context, it is perhaps not surprising that occupational therapists have struggled to include sexuality in professional discourse and practice (Sakellariou & Simo Algado, 2006b). Although sexuality fits within a broad classification of occupation as offered by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (2010), the explicit link between sexuality and desire, as opposed to duty and obligation, appears to support the delegitimization of sexuality as a valid concern when therapists are confronted with limited resources and competing demands in practice settings (Hyland & Mc Grath, 2013;McGrath & Lynch, 2014).…”