Does a 2-Week Sexual Health in Rehabilitation Course Lead to Sustained Change in Students’ Attitudes?—A Pilot Study

• Published in: Sexuality and disability Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 417 - 435
• Main Authors: Gerbild, H., Larsen, C. M., Rolander, B., Areskoug-Josefsson, Kristina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aging; Attitudes; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Community and Environmental Psychology; Elective Courses; Health education; Original Paper; Psychology; Rehabilitation Medicine; Sexual Behavior; Students; Urology; Attitudes; Denmark; Education; Sexual health; Health professional students
• ISSN: 0146-1044; 1573-6717; 1573-6717
• DOI: 10.1007/s11195-018-9540-1

This pilot study aimed to explore if healthcare professional students participating in a 2-week elective course, Sexual Health in Rehabilitation (SHR), led to significant and sustained change in experienced competence and attitudes towards addressing sexual health in their future professions, when measured with the Students’ Attitudes towards Sexual Health-Danish version (SA-SH-D). Comparison-group design, using the SA-SH-D at baseline, after the 2 weeks course and 3 months after completing the course. Participation in the SHR course significantly changed the students’ attitudes; decreasing their fears of offending the patients and increasing their feelings of comfort in communicating about sexual health, and the results sustained during the follow-up period of 3 months. The results of the intervention suggest that a 2-week elective SHR course leads to sustained change healthcare students’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health in their future profession. Sexual health education positively changed the students’ attitudes, decreased their fears of offending the patients and increased their feelings of comfort in communicating about sexual health. The SA-SH-D is a useful tool to measure results of educational interventions aiming to change healthcare students’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health in their future profession. Future research is recommended regarding students’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health with persons living with disabilities. There is also a need to further research the effect of elective versus compulsory sexual health education in healthcare programs, to lessen the risk that healthcare students in their future profession will not be able to give equal care due to variation in competence and attitude.