Search results

Starting conversations about intimacy and sexuality

Knowledge and attitude of nursing students regarding older adults' sexuality

CC-BY    Gepubliceerd in Nurse Education Today, January 2021https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260691720314933Background: Although older adults are sexual, sexuality is infrequently discussed with them by health care professionals. Nursing students, as future professionals, can make an important contribution by developing competences in discussing intimacy and sexuality with older adults to increase quality of life and to prevent sexual problems. In order to improve these competences, current levels of knowledge and attitude need to be explored.Objectives: To investigate i) knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding intimacy and sexuality of older adults, ii) the difference in knowledge and attitudes of nursing students in different years of study and iii) frequency of discussing intimacy and sexuality with older adults.Design: Cross-sectional.Settings: A University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.Participants: Nursing students, ≥16 years who were able to read and write in Dutch.Methods: The Ageing Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale was used among nursing students. Furthermore, demographic information and frequencies were collected. Data was analyzed using SPSS.Results: In total, 732 students participated. The mean knowledge-score was 43.9 (SD = 8.9), the mean attitude-score 64.3 (SD = 16.0). Unlike attitude, the level of knowledge differed significantly per year of study: first year students had the lowest and third year students the highest knowledge. Most students stated they ‘never’ (54.1%) or ‘once’ (13.2%) discussed intimacy and sexuality with older adults. Reasons to avoid talking about intimacy and sexuality were feelings of ‘not being the right person’ (17.3%) and ‘incompetence’ (14.0%).Conclusions: Nursing students had moderate knowledge and positive attitudes toward older adults’ intimacy and sexuality. The knowledge-level differed per year of study, the attitude level did not. Only a minority discussed intimacy and sexuality with older adults. Moderate knowledge and positive attitudes do not mean that intimacy and sexuality is discussed. To ensure students feel responsible and competent, interventions should focus on continuous knowledge dissemination, role clarification and role modelling.

Knowledge and attitude of nursing students regarding older adults’ sexuality

CC-BY  Nurse Education Today, 2021, January Background: Although older adults are sexual, sexuality is infrequently discussed with them by health care professionals. Nursing students, as future professionals, can make an important contribution by developing competences in discussing intimacy and sexuality with older adults to increase quality of life and to prevent sexual problems. In order to improve these competences, current levels of knowledge and attitude need to be explored. Objectives: To investigate i) knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding intimacy and sexuality of older adults, ii) the difference in knowledge and attitudes of nursing students in different years of study and iii) frequency of discussing intimacy and sexuality with older adults. Design: Cross-sectional. Settings: A University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Participants: Nursing students, ≥16 years who were able to read and write in Dutch. Methods: The Ageing Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale was used among nursing students. Furthermore, demographic information and frequencies were collected. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Results: In total, 732 students participated. The mean knowledge-score was 43.9 (SD = 8.9), the mean attitudescore 64.3 (SD = 16.0). Unlike attitude, the level of knowledge differed significantly per year of study: first year students had the lowest and third year students the highest knowledge. Most students stated they ‘never’ (54.1%) or ‘once’ (13.2%) discussed intimacy and sexuality with older adults. Reasons to avoid talking about intimacy and sexuality were feelings of ‘not being the right person’ (17.3%) and ‘incompetence’ (14.0%). Conclusions: Nursing students had moderate knowledge and positive attitudes toward older adults’ intimacy and sexuality. The knowledge-level differed per year of study, the attitude level did not. Only a minority discussed intimacy and sexuality with older adults. Moderate knowledge and positive attitudes do not mean that intimacy and sexuality is discussed. To ensure students feel responsible and competent, interventions should focus on continuous knowledge dissemination, role clarification and role modelling.

Development and Testing of the Aftercare Problem List, a Burn Aftercare Screening Instrument

A growing interest in person-centered care from a biopsychosocial perspective has led to increased attention to structural screening. The aim of this study was to develop an easy-to-comprehend screening instrument using single items to identify a broad range of health-related problems in adult burn survivors. This study builds on earlier work regarding content generation. Focus groups and expert meetings with healthcare providers informed content refinement, resulting in the Aftercare Problem List (APL). The instrument consists of 43 items divided into nine health domains: scars, daily life functioning, scars treatment, body perceptions, stigmatization, intimacy, mental health, relationships, financial concerns, and a positive coping domain. The APL also includes a Distress Thermometer and a question inquiring about preference to discuss the results with a healthcare provider. Subsequently, the APL was completed by 102 outpatients. To test face validity, a linear regression analysis showed that problems in three health domains, i.e., scars, mental health, and body perceptions, were significantly related to higher distress. Qualitative results revealed that a minority found the items difficult which led to further adjustment of the wording and the addition of illustrations. In summation, this study subscribes to the validity of using single items to screen for burn-related problems.

Supporting Intimacy and Sexuality Needs of Older Adults

https://crimsonpublishers.com/ggs/fulltext/GGS.000645.php Sinds kort is er in Nederland meer aandacht voor de intieme en seksuele behoeften van ouderen, zowel in hun privé-thuisomgeving als in de langdurige zorg. Het is algemeen bekend dat een persoonsgerichte aanpak nodig is om de kwaliteit van de zorg aan ouderen te verbeteren. Er zijn verschillende hulpmiddelen ontwikkeld om de intieme en seksuele behoeften van oudere volwassenen te ondersteunen. Desondanks is er in de praktijk nog steeds een gebrek aan begrip bij zorgprofessionals (HPC 's) en organisaties hoe ze deze tools in specifieke situaties kunnen gebruiken. Het matchen van de juiste tool met de juiste organisatie, HPC 's, ouderen en hun dierbaren is essentieel om persoonsgerichte intieme en seksuele ondersteuning te bieden aan oudere volwassenen.Sleutelwoorden: Oudere volwassene; Intimiteit, Seksualiteit, Persoonsgericht, Co-creatie, Beroepsbeoefenaren in de gezondheidszorg (HCP 's)