Sexuality Of People Research Articles

Beyond safety and efficacy: sexuality-related priorities and their associations with contraceptive method selection

ObjectivesSexuality-related preferences have been understudied in contraceptive selection and uptake. Investigators endeavored to assess contraceptive preferences among patients selecting new methods at family planning clinics and to evaluate the degree to which two sexuality-related preferences are (a) valued and (b) associated with method selection. Study designData were derived from the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative, a longitudinal cohort nested in a quasi-experimental, observational study enrolling 18–45-year-old patients at four family planning health centers in Salt Lake County. At the time of selecting the new method of their choice, participants reported the importance of nine factors in contraceptive method selection, including two sexuality-related preferences: a method's lack of impact on libido and its lack of sexual interruption. Analyses involved multinomial logistic regression with method selected as the outcome, sexuality-related factors as the main explanatory variables, and a range of controls and covariates. ResultsAmong 2188 individuals seeking new contraceptive methods, the factors most frequently cited as quite or extremely important were safety (98%), effectiveness (94%), not interrupting sex (81%), not impacting libido (81%) and lack of side effects (80%). Less frequently cited factors included partner acceptability (46%), lack of hormones (39%), friend recommendation (29%) and alignment with religious beliefs (11%). Multivariate models documented no significant associations between sexual-related priorities and method selection. ConclusionsMany contraceptive seekers rank sexual-related priorities alongside safety and efficacy as very important, but a range of methods align with people's sexual priorities. ImplicationsSince patients endorse the importance of sexual-related contraceptive factors (impact on libido, impact on sexual interruption) alongside safety and efficacy, contraceptive research, counseling and care should attend to people's sexuality.

Approach to Sexuality From Occupational Therapy in People With Acquired Brain Injury in Subacute Stage: Study Protocol

Project title: Occupational Therapy Approach to Sexuality in People with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) in Subacute Stage. Design: Qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Context of Study: The relevance of the occupational therapy approach to sexuality regarding people with acquired brain injury in the subacute stage. Objectives: General objective: Explore the perceptions of people with ABI, who are in a subacute situation, and their relatives and partners, about their assessment of the relevance of the approach toward sexuality during their occupational therapy intervention. Specific objectives: Describe and analyze the perspectives of users, family members, and partners about the importance of this activity and its relevance in daily life; what is included in the approach to sexuality; the differences that may arise between the perspectives of the participants according to gender; and the differences that may arise between the perspectives on the subject by age groups. Study Population and the Total Number of Participants: The study population is made up of people with ABI in the subacute stage who attend occupational therapy at the physical rehabilitation unit of a hospital in Spain, and their families and partners. The size of the sample is conditioned by the qualitative study’s design. The number of participants will be established when theoretical saturation of the data is reached. First results are now available.

A Culture of Flourishing: A Feminist Ethical Framework for Incorporating Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Catholic Institutions

In the wake of the 2002 Boston Globe coverage of the child sexual abuse (CSA) scandal at the hands of Catholic clergy, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded by requiring adults working in Catholic institutions to take CSA prevention training, and recommended such training for youth. Such measures profess institutional commitment to change. However, the current approach to young people's sexuality, which is narrowly focused on protection and restriction, undermines the magisterium's professed commitments to holistic education and human flourishing. In order to fulfill these commitments, Katia Moles suggests that U.S. Catholic institutions cultivate a culture of sexual flourishing in which CSA prevention is part of lifelong comprehensive sexuality education and children are recognized as moral agents. Drawing on Catholic feminist sexual ethics, Moles proposes normative criteria for a developmental sexual ethic conducive to such a culture. Empirical evidence indicates U.S. Catholics are ready for a renewed sexual ethics. Finally, she discusses how children could inform Catholic sexual theology.

Lower Eyelid Distraction Test: New Insights on the Reference Value.

The evaluation of palpebral laxity can be performed by the distraction test (DT). Although widely used in ophthalmologic practice, there is no consensus about the results considered normal by the test. The objectives of this study are to obtain the value of DT in a group of individuals with healthy eyelids and to compare with the measurements in subjects with senile ectropion. Lower eyelid DT was performed in 200 individuals without any eyelid pathology and in 30 individuals with lower lid ectropion. The results were analyzed by age and sex in the control group and compared with the results of the ectropion group. The mean value of DT in the control group was 6.96 mm, lower than in the ectropion group (9.48 mm) (p < 0.001). In the control group, the mean female DT was 6.70 mm, while the male was 7.22 mm. There were differences in the DT values in the subgroups of 20-39 and 40-59-year old according to gender, with men presenting higher measurements than women. In the other age subgroups, both genders presented similar DT values. Even when considering only individuals in the control group with the same range of age as in the ectropion group, the DT value was higher in individuals with ectropion (7.23 and 9.48 mm, respectively, p < 0.001). The mean DT value is 6.96 mm; however, the measurement varies according to age and sex in people without palpebral pathology. Individuals with senile eyelid ectropion present higher measurements than healthy ones.In this study, the authors performed the eyelid distraction test in 200 healthy individuals, bringing to the literature the new information that there is a variability of the normal test's value regarding age and gender.

EDUCAÇÃO SEXUAL E ATUAÇÃO DOCENTE NA ESCOLA INCLUSIVA: COMPROMISSOS SOCIAIS DO ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS

Science Education must assume its social commitment to Sexual Education and Inclusion, because it is responsible for the elaboration of pedagogical contexts that enable the construction of scientific concepts related to body and sexuality. In order to do so, science education must position human sexuality as a complex phenomenon, whose teaching must consider biological, psychological and social phenomena, and contemplate diversity as inherent in human groups. In this work, we seek to investigate the perception of Science teachers about Sexual Education and the understandings about the sexuality of students with specific needs, in inclusive schools of the Federal District. The relevance of this research is anchored in three aspects: first, the invisibility of the theoretical and methodological discussion that articulates sexuality and disability; according to the repercussion of this invisibility in the non-teaching and; third, in the possibilities of initial and continued training of science teachers in the subject matter. It was a qualitative investigation whose information was generated through semi-structured interviews with eight teachers and analyzed with the support of WQDA software. The teachers' perceptions about the sexuality of people with disabilities, outlined in this research, showed advances on the one hand, that is, on the recognition of many teachers that people with disabilities are subjects of desire; but also stagnation, when there are still teachers who have not been able to recognize their sexuality or how to act in the classroom in order to approach different ways of being and living together, considering sexuality. The analyzes presented reveal the importance of planning proposals for initial and continuing training for Science teachers, with a view to meeting the social commitments of Science Education towards inclusive and sexual education, which implies in defending and promoting the essential right to education person to human development in its entirety, including sexuality and its teaching, in a plural and bio-social perspective.

Sexuality in People With Ostomies: A Literature Review

Ostomies have shown to compromise different components of an individual’s quality of life, particularly their sexuality. Although some elements that can affect sexuality have been described in this population like body image or lifestyle changes, being a necessity to understand these difficulties, as well as to know the strategies the same patients have used to improve their sexual life. A review of the literature was performed using the following databases: Medline, Central, Embase, Scopus, Lilacs and Psycinfo. The include studies required a qualitative or mixed method approach with the purpose of investigating the sexual issues of people with ostomies along with their strategies to improve their sexual life. A total of 1039 articles were reviewed by title and abstract. Among these, 17 references were selected for full-text review. Based on these, an ostomy seems to compromise three individual aspects: physical, emotional and social. The physical aspect is associated with the mechanical difficulties caused by the ostomy, such as the act of coitus. The emotional aspect is related to self-esteem alterations due to changes in an individual’s physical appearance. Lastly, the social aspect is related to the perception of their partner, their family and other peers. The sexuality of people with ostomies should be approached before and after the surgery. Partners of the individuals should be involved throughout the explanation of the process in order to help the patient recover faster and, therefore, avoid hampering their sexual lives.

Validación de un instrumento de evaluación del comportamiento sexual de personas con discapacidad intelectual para padres (ECS-PA)

La reciente normalización de la sexualidad y de los derechos sexuales entre las personas conDiscapacidad Intelectual (DI) ha hecho que se incremente el número de iniciativas dirigidas a mejorar sus conocimientos y habilidades mediante programas de educación afectivo-sexual pero dichos programas requieren instrumentos de evaluación fiables que permitan identificar sus necesidades y puedan ser sensibles al cambio tras la intervención. En dicha valoración deben confluir sus percepciones, las de los profesionales que se ocupan de ellos y las de sus padres para asegurar la veracidad de la información obtenida, pero lamentablemente carecemos de instrumentos psicométricos válidos y fiables tanto autoinformados, debido a que en muchos casos carecen de habilidades verbales suficientes para expresar sus deseos y vivencias, como heteroinformados, pues los existentes se centran fundamentalmente en el estudio de las actitudes hacia la sexualidad de este colectivo. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido construir y validar un cuestionario para obtener información de los padres acerca de la sexualidad de las personas con DI leve o moderada. El instrumento fue administrado a 118 padres de personas adultas con DI. Se realizó un Análisis Factorial Exploratorio seguido de un Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio que ofreció una estructura compuesta de 3 factores: (F1) Comprensión de la privacidad y normas sociales (13 ítems), (F2) percepción de los conocimientos sobre sexualidad que tiene su hijo/a (10 ítems), y (F3) preocupación por un comportamiento sexual inadecuado (9 ítems). El modelo obtenido con estos tres factores presenta un buen ajuste como muestran los principales indicadores (Chi2 S-B/df = 1,14, RMSEA = 0,035, CFI = 0,910 y TLI = 0,902). El ECS-PA se muestra como un instrumento que permite obtener información válida y fiable sobre la sexualidad de las personas con DI leve o moderada.

"I don't know if I can talk about that": An Exploratory Study on the Experiences of Care Workers Regarding the Sexuality of People with Intellectual Disabilities

This exploratory study examined the attitudes and experiences of a small sample of direct care workers' experiences of addressing the sexual expression and practices of their clients with intellectual disabilities. Drawing on in-depth interviews with direct care workers in Alberta, Canada, we use Foucault's work to examine the way power is exercised through organizational policies, personal values, and employment contexts. Altogether, the accounts of direct care workers seem to illuminate a culture that commonly sees disability and sexuality as antithetical and a topic to be avoided for fear of reprisal.

Parental Perceptions of the Sexuality of Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

The sexuality of people with disabilities is often conceptualized as asexual. Furthermore, public discourse regards people with disabilities as highly prone to sexual abuse. The few studies that contemplate on parents’ of people with intellectual disability (ID) point of view uncover the parents’ perceptions towards their offspring’s sexuality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the sexuality of adolescents with ID from their parents perceptions. The study was conducted using a phenomenological approach and included 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with parents of adolescents with ID. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Parents’ perceptions of their children’s sexuality and their involvement concerning sexuality reveal dilemmas and tensions that remain unresolved. Although some parents did tend to treat their children’s sexuality as non-normative and as a source of problems and thus ignored, prevented, and limited their children’s sexual expressions, other parents presented different perspectives, acknowledging the sexuality of adolescents with ID and their right to express it. The findings also reveal a new and exciting insight related to the conceptual space of physical contact between parents and children, which moves between physical expressions of love and care and feelings of prohibited sexuality. Professionals working with people with ID and their families should be allowed to create a professional dialogue that would enable the discussion and clarification of the dilemmas and challenges related to the subject.

Deficiência e sexualidade: uma análise bibliométrica

The experience of sexuality by people with some disability is an phenomenon that attracts interest from researchers and professionals in special education. This research had the objetive to investigate the scientific articles that address the experience of sexuality by people with disabilities. A bibliometric study was carried out on brazilian's scientific production on the subject. Of the total of 20 articles analyzed, most of then contain qualitative and descriptive reseaches with interviews as a data collection instrument. The most investigated public were educators of students with disabilities and people with physical disability, with large discrepancies between the representations of both groups about the sexuality of people with disabilities, prevailing prejudice and misinformation. There are still many issues to be addressed in futures researches, as well as new studies and the construction of sex education programs for students with disabilities.

Impact of Trade Liberalization on Employment in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): A Gender Approach

The main objective of this paper is to assess the impact of trade liberalization on employment in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) through a gender approach. We apply generalized least squares (GLS) estimation techniques with both random and fixed effects on panel data covering the period of 2000-2017. Due to the lack of data, Guinea-Bissau is not part of our analysis. The results show that, while trade liberalization does not explain women’s employment patterns, it rather contributes in job destruction for men in the WAEMU. In conclusion, the impact of trade liberalization of employment is not gender neutral. Rather, it varies depending on the sex of people. In terms of policy implications, this study calls policy makers to setting up, better negotiating or renegotiating trade agreements and implementing trade policies that are more inclusive and beneficial particularly to the population. This could be done by taking into consideration women’s employment particularities in the union, enhancing productive capacities of men, reducing and eliminating inequalities related to people gender and sex.

Sexuality Among Adults with Congenital Deafblindness: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study Among Primary Carers

Research investigating the sexuality of individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities is increasing. However, little is known about the sexuality of people with congenital deafblindness (CDB). The aim of the current study was to create a profile of the sexuality of adults with CDB in Denmark. Data was collected from the primary carers of 95 adults with CDB by use of a survey with questions about sexual behavior, the object of sexual behavior, level of sexual frustration, and pedagogical support for sexual satisfaction. The data were analyzed with regard to gender, age, severity of deafblindness, communication, activities of daily living (ADL), cognitive abilities, and carer characteristics. The results revealed that approximately half the number of participants showed sexual behavior while the other half did not. In the majority of cases, sexual behavior was self-stimulation, while, for the rest, sexual behavior was directed toward other people and/or objects. Around one out of ten participants was provided with pedagogical support to help satisfy their sexual needs. Sexual behavior was significantly associated with high scores for communication skills, ADL, and cognitive abilities. Further, high ADL and cognitive abilities were associated with the provision of pedagogical support for sexual satisfaction. Around one out of ten participants, all of whom were men, experienced sexual frustrations. The findings of the current study—the first quantitative study on sexuality among individuals with CDB—are comparable to the findings of studies among individuals with developmental disorders and underline the need for sexuality-related support for individuals with disabilities including those with CDB.

Sex and stigma: The impact of structural violence on people with disabilities in Taiwan

ABSTRACTDisabled bodies are highly stigmatised by society and socially constructed as undesirable and malfunctioning bodies. Yet, little is known about the sexuality of people with disabilities. Analysing 21 online testimonies from a sex volunteer service for the disabled in Taiwan, we explore the complexity of their sexual lives. We illustrate how their bodies are constructed as asexual and undesirable that, in turn, produces structural violence against them while regulating their sexual desire. Although such regulation is powerful, people with disabilities still find ways to subvert it.

Sexual Matters of Couples with Spinal Cord Injury Attending a Sexual Health Clinic in Tehran, Iran

Background: Couples experiencing spinal cord injury (SCI) usually deal with altered sexual lives. Evaluation of the sexual satisfaction, intimacy, and partnership as well as sexual functioning of the couples with one SCI-affected partner is necessary. Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted on 28 couples (56 individuals) attending a sexual health clinic at the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center (BASIR) affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Descriptive statistics were employed and data were expressed as frequencies. The chi-square test, the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, and the Student t-test were employed to determine the differences between male and female subjects with SCI as well as their partners. To investigate marital-related outcomes, ENRICH marital satisfaction scale, marital adjustment scale, and the Bagarozzi intimacy questionnaire were used. In addition, female sexual function index (FSFI) and international index erectile function (IIEF), as well as sexual knowledge and attitude, sexual expression (SE), and the Larson sexual satisfaction questionnaires were employed to evaluate sexual-performance-related outcomes. Results: The mean age of male and female subjects with SCI (20 males and eight females) was 39.65 ± 9.483 and 34.88 ± 10.412 years, respectively. Mean age of the partners without SCI, male and female, was 37 ± 9.067 and 41.38 ± 10.155 years, respectively. Partners with and without SCI had low sexual satisfaction by 67.9% and 53.6%, respectively. There was also a poor intimacy and partnership in partners with SCI (46.4%). Gender-based differences in the couples' sexual functioning indicated that females without SCI showed lower scores in sexual functioning than their male counterparts. All female subjects got lower scores in FSFI. A significant mean difference was observed between the SCI and non-SCI groups in ENRICH marital satisfaction (P < 0.02), the Bagarozzi intimacy (P < 0.035), marital adjustment (P = 0.000), and IIEF (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the current study findings, sexuality of people with SCI was far more complex than those of their healthy counterparts, which caused the health providers face with clinical, social, and cultural challenges. Sexual rehabilitation should be effusively addressed in all spinal units and recovery centers, along with other aspects of treatment and rehabilitation.

An ethical inquiry of support workers' experiences related to sexuality in the context of intellectual disabilities in Quebec, Canada

Accessible summary Support workers' attitudes towards the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities are important. They can influence the support people with intellectual disabilities receive regarding their affective and sexual life. Six support workers talked about their personal experiences. They talked about what they found easy and difficult when helping people with intellectual disabilities express their sexual life and needs. They said that sexuality is a right, a health matter and an important need. They also said it was sometimes difficult to include sexuality in their work. They also said they often feel insecure and uncertain about how to help because sexuality is a difficult subject to talk about. They wanted to help people make their own decisions, but also wanted to protect them if needed. AbstractBackgroundIn the last decade, the evolution of support workers' attitudes towards the affective and sexual lives of people with intellectual disabilities has been described as increasingly positive. However, restrictive attitudes targeting affective and sexual life are still documented.Material and methodsThis study aimed to explore the ethical implications of support workers' experiences concerning sexuality in the context of intellectual disabilities in everyday practice. This inquiry was guided by the following research questions: (a) In the context of intellectual disabilities, what meanings do service users' sexuality have for support workers? (b) How are those meanings translated into practice? Inspired by critical phenomenology, in‐depth individual interviews with support workers were conducted and analysed.ResultsOne superordinate theme (Negotiating Interventions) and three themes were identified: “Crossing Organizational Borders,” “A Duty to Act Despite Uncertainty” and “Navigating Competing and Contradictory Discourses.”ConclusionSupport workers' experiences related to sexuality in the context of intellectual disabilities are influenced by how they define their role in a clinical context. This role is influenced by how affective and sexual life is included in practices, local policies and interdisciplinary work. Despite positive attitudinal changes, sexuality is still regarded as a sensitive topic capable of endangering both service users and support workers.

Organisational enablers and barriers to the recognition of sexuality in aged care: A systematic review.

To identify organisational characteristics and practices that promote or inhibit the recognition of sexuality in the care of older people in health and aged care settings. Sexuality in old age is poorly understood by health professionals and rarely addressed in care planning and delivery. Nurse managers are ideally placed to lead organisations in promoting a culture of acceptance that enables the expression of sexuality. A search for research/expert opinion papers published from January 2004 to February 2017 was undertaken. Two reviewers performed data extraction and appraisal of 34 included studies using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. The primarily qualitative research was analysed to identify 152 findings that were organised into 22 categories and combined into four syntheses. An organisation's philosophies frame the way older people's sexuality is perceived. Cultivating a culture and environment of acceptance, engagement and knowledge and delivering care in a way that promotes opportunity for safe and private expression of sexuality are key enabling factors. Organisations and nurse leaders can support and facilitate older adults' expression of their sexuality through the review and development of philosophies, policies, procedures, staff attitudes and knowledge and the creation of a conducive environment. Nurse managers play a pivotal role in developing a sexuality-positive organisational ethos by ensuring policies, care practices, the environment and amenities are supportive of the expression of sexuality and by role modelling attitudes of respect and inclusivity.

Diet Quality Is Low and Differs by Sex in People with HIV

People with HIV (PWH) are at risk for developing metabolic comorbidities driven, in part, by immune activation/inflammation. Little is known about diet quality, a potential modifiable factor in PWH. This study aimed to explore diet quality in terms of conformance with US dietary guidelines by calculating Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) scores among adults with and without HIV in Boston, MA, and determine associations with HEI and markers of immune activation/inflammation. One-hundred and three HIV-infected [50 women, 53 men; mean±SD age: 47±7 y; body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2): 26±5] and 38 uninfected adults (17 women, 21 men; age: 46±7 y; BMI: 28±4) were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Participants who completed a 4-d food record from which HEI could be calculated were included. HEI was compared between participants with and without HIV, within HIV-infected participants stratified by sex, and by HIV serostatus and sex. In the HIV group, predictors of HEI were determined in multivariable modeling. Univariate associations with diet quality and inflammation/immune markers were assessed. The HEI score was 51.3 in the HIV-infected participants and 57.3 in the HIV-uninfected participants (P=0.052). In the comparison by HIV serostatus and sex, HIV-infected women had significantly lower HEI (49.2) compared with HIV-infected men (55.7) (P=0.005) and HIV-uninfected men (61.8) (P=0.002). Adjusting for potential confounding factors, sex remained an independent predictor of HEI in HIV (P=0.02). In the HIV group, higher log HEI was associated with lower concentration of the immune activation marker sCD14 (P=0.009). Diet quality tended to be lower in HIV-infected individuals compared with HIV-uninfected individuals and was lower among HIV-infected women compared with HIV-infected men, and HIV-uninfected men. There may also be an association with diet quality and sCD14 in PWH. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine whether improving diet quality is a useful strategy to reduce metabolic abnormalities in this population. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00455793.

Creative collaboration on a disability and sexuality participatory action research project: A reflective diary account

ABSTRACT This article presents a team’s engagement with a creative collaborative project challenging the myths about the sexuality of people with physical disabilities in South Africa. The article is presented as a reflective diary account, which has been constructed from minutes of meetings, email correspondence, and personal reflections of the activities undertaken. We reflect on the work we have done and what we have learned as well as the decisions and dilemmas we had along the way and the increasingly creative process. We reflect on our work with reference to participatory action research and the use of arts-based methods for generating and disseminating knowledge. We believe this can provide a useful and practical resource for researchers who are new to participatory research methods.

Sexuality erased, questioned, and explored: the experiences of South Africans with physical disabilities

ABSTRACTThe sexuality of people with disabilities has historically been a site of oppression and discrimination. The sexuality of people with disabilities remains relatively under-researched and poorly understood. As a result, many myths and misconceptions about the sexuality of people with disabilities may prevail. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of 13 people with physical disabilities in South Africa. A thematic analysis was conducted to explore how the sexuality of participants are constructed by others, as revealed by reported interactions with non-disabled people. Results show that often the sexuality of people with disabilities is erased by others, or they are questioned, often in prejudiced ways, and less frequently they are explored in intimate relationships.

The AIDS Pandemic: Searching for a Global Response

Michael Merson, the second Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Program on AIDS, and co-author Stephen Inrig have described, in gripping detail, the personal antagonisms, interpersonal wrangling, and bureaucratic intrigue that explained the failure of the first global response to the HIV epidemic (Merson & Inrig, 2018). However, I believe that the decision of WHO, Western researchers, and the media to ignore the role of reuse of contaminated syringes and needles in health care settings and to instead emphasize African people's sex with multiple partners was more critical in the explosion of HIV in Africa than personal animosities and bureaucratic disputes. Merson & Inrig (2018) euphemistically noted that.