A study of the knowledge and attitudes of health care providers toward sexuality in institutionalized older persons

One of the issues related to the care of older persons, which has received little interest and concern has been the sexuality of older persons in institutional settings. The sexual knowledge and attitudes of health care providers regarding the sexuality of older persons in institutions has been shown to have a direct impact upon the sexual activity of these older persons. This study investigated the knowledge and attitudes of health care providers toward the sexuality of older persons in a nursing home setting. The data for this study was gathered from 114 health care providers that provided direct care services at a nursing care facility. The health care providers completed a demographic data form and the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS). No association was found between sexual knowledge and sexual attitudes, as had been found in some previous studies. The variables of age, religiosity, and education were also analyzed. The results of this study concluded that the older the health care provider, the less permissive the sexual attitudes toward the sexuality of older persons. Participation in educational programs, specifically related to the sexuality of older persons, had a very positive relationship to increased knowledge and positive attitudes toward sexuality of older persons. The variable of religiosity was found to be inversely related to sexual knowledge. A qualitative analysis of data found that health care providers believed that privacy is needed in institutions for adults who can provide consent for sexual activity and that health care providers can help to facilitate the sexuality of older persons. The current study indicated a continued need for health care provider sex education programs which are specific to older persons. The study indicated the importance for further study and research in the field of sexuality and older persons and the factors that facilitate intimate and sexual relationships of these individuals in long-term institutional care.