Attitudes and Beliefs of Nursing Students Towards Sexual Health Care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/ijcs.v5i2.240Keywords:
Attitude, Beliefs, nursing students, sexual health care, sexualityAbstract
Introduction: Sexual health care refers to assessing sexual health, identifying the risks, and providing appropriate counselling related to sexuality. It is essential to have competency related to this care to prevent under-treated patient and further complications. This study aims to explore attitudes and beliefs among undergraduate nursing students at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan, Pahang toward sexual health care and its association with socio-demographic characteristics.
Methods: A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study with a convenience sampling was conducted among 239 students from March to May 2021. Data were gathered by using Google Forms questionnaires and distributed to all undergraduate nursing students through WhatsApp. The questionnaires were available in three parts: socio-demographic, students’ characteristics, and Sexual Attitude and Belief Survey (SABS). Data analysis was done by using SPSS version 20.0.
Results: The majority of nursing students have moderate attitudes and beliefs in delivering sexual health care and Age group was significantly associated with SABS score (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Although most nursing students have sufficient knowledge related to sexual health, they still feel uncomfortable and unable to diagnose patients with sexual problems.
References
World Health Organization. (2006). Sexual and reproductive health and research including the Special Programme HRP. https://www.who.int/teams/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research/key-areas-of-work/sexual-health/defining-sexual-health
Aaberg, V. (2016). The state of sexuality education in baccalaureate nursing programs. Nurse Education Today, 44, 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.05.009
Durgun Ozan, Y., Duman, M., & Çiçek, Ö. (2019). Nursing Students’ Experiences on Assessing the Sexuality of Patients: Mixed Method Study. Sexuality and Disability, 37(4), 613–623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-019-09567-6
Pibernat, A. D., Rodríguez, F. J. P., Pibernat, E. D., Vidal, J. R., & Vidal, J. R. (2015). Is sexual health an issue in nursing education? European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 14(6), 466–467. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474515115586710
Blakey & Aveyard. (2016). Student nurses’ competence in sexual health care: a literature review. International Journal of Laboratory Hematology, 38(1), 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijlh.12426
Wilschut, V. F. C., Pianosi, B., van Os-Medendorp, H., Elzevier, H. W., Jukema, J. S., & den Ouden, M. E. M. (2021). Knowledge and attitude of nursing students regarding older adults’ sexuality: A cross-sectional study. Nurse Education Today, 96(April 2020), 104643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104643
Tsai, L. Y., Huang, C. Y., Liao, W. C., Tseng, T. H., & Lai, T. J. (2013). Assessing student nurses’ learning needs for addressing patients’ sexual health concerns in Taiwan. Nurse Education Today, 33(2), 152–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2012.05.014
Sung, S., Huang, H., & Lin, M. (2015). R ELATIONSHIP B ETWEEN THE K NOWLEDGE , A TTITUDE , AND S ELF -. 31(3), 254–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2014.11.001
Erenel, A. S., & Ozdemir, S. C. (2020). Attitude and Behaviors of Senior Nursing Students in Assessment of Sexual Health. Sexuality and Disability, 38(3), 503–514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-020-09642-3
Azira, N., Binti, F., Muda, S. M., Hazariah, S., Hamid, A., Azira, N., Binti, F., Muda, S. M., Zain, N. M., Hazariah, S., & Hamid, A. (2020). The role of parents in providing sexuality education to their children. Makara Journal of Health Research, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.7454/msk.v24i3.1235
Güven, ?. D., & Küçükakça Çelik, G. (2018). Evaluation of nursing students’ attitudes and beliefs regarding sexual care. Androloji Bülteni, 7–12. https://doi.org/10.24898/tandro.2021.02703
Areskoug-Josefsson, K., Larsson, A., Gard, G., Rolander, B., & Juuso, P. (2016). Health Care Students’ Attitudes Towards Working with Sexual Health in Their Professional Roles: Survey of Students at Nursing, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Programmes. Sexuality and Disability, 34(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-016-9442-z
