A Longitudinal Study of Sexuality Training for the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team
Sexuality and Disability, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 87-100, 2010
14 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2012 Last revised: 28 Oct 2013
Date Written: January 28, 2012
Abstract
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 questionnaire-based 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.
Keywords: sexuality, training, interdisciplinary, spinal cord injury, Australia
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