Sexual expression and dementia. Views of caregivers: A pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the attitudes of health professionals in nursing homes towards sexuality and sexual expression in cognitively impaired and cognitively intact residents.


METHODS
Postal survey.


METHODS
The staff (administrators, clinicians, social workers and others) of 300 randomly selected nursing homes located in three states. Of these, 114 representatives responded.


METHODS
A measure of attitudes towards resident sexuality developed during a prior study.


RESULTS
Results suggest that respondents held a generally positive orientation towards residents' sexual expression which was expressed with respect to cognitively impaired residents as well as to those who were cognitively intact. Possibly because of the small sample size and resulting low statistical power, statistical analyses failed to demonstrate any significant differences among the groups of residents: administrators, clinicians, social workers, and undifferentiated 'others'. However, while non-significant, there was a consistent tendency for administrators to be relatively more conservative than were the other groups. Almost all respondents agreed that additional staff training should focus specifically on dealing with resident sexual expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the sample reported generally positive attitudes towards resident sexuality and sexual expression.
Holmes
D
D
Reingold
J
J
Teresi
J
J
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003625:Data Collection; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*