Improving the rehabilitative management of client sexual health concerns after neurological disability: evaluation of a staff sexuality training programme in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of a staff sexuality training programme as a means of improving the rehabilitative management of client sexual health concerns after neurological disability.

DESIGN

A prospective controlled pre- and posttest evaluation design with six-month follow-up.

SUBJECTS

Seventy-four multidisciplinary rehabilitation and disability staff who attended a two-day workshop, and a control group of 25 staff members who did not receive the training.

SETTING

Two workshops were held at major rehabilitation centres in the North and South Islands of New Zealand respectively.

MAIN MEASURES

The Sex Attitude Scale, as well as three purpose-designed measures including an objective knowledge test, a self-rating inventory of skills and clinical activity, and a single-item measure of the degree of staff comfort.

RESULTS

Workshop participants showed significant increases in knowledge, skills and comfort comparing pre-to post-workshop scores. A number of these gains were maintained at the six-month follow-up. There was an associated increase in the level of reported staff activity in addressing patient/client sexual health concerns in the six months to follow-up, compared to a similar time period preceding the workshop. In contrast, the control group had similar pre-workshop scores to the workshop participants, but recorded no increase on the measures, or in their level of reported activity, at the six-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The programme showed initial promise as an effective intervention in upgrading the capacity of staff working in rehabilitation and disability agencies to address the sexual health concerns of their patients/clients.