Neglected sexual needs: A qualitative study in Iranian patients with severe mental illness

Raisi, Firoozeh; Yahyavi, Seyyed Taha; Mirsepassi, Zahra; Firoozikhojastefar, Reihaneh; Shahvari, Zahra

doi:10.1111/ppc.12253

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The criteria used for the search were as follows: studies published during the previous 10 years and written in Catalan, Spanish, English, German, Portuguese or French. The studies had to have been carried out in Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries, to provide evident data on the experience of sexuality among PLSMI and avoid political, social and/or economic biases that affect the general population and, to a greater extent, people with some type of mental disorder (Raisi et al., 2018).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexuality in people living with a serious mental illness: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative evidence

Hortal‐Mas

Poyato

Granel

et al. 2020

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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Accessible summary What is known on the subject A serious mental illness influences sexual life and people affected have worries about their sexual health. People living with a serious mental illness can and want to participate in interventions related to sexual health. What the paper adds to existing knowledge People who suffer a serious mental illness are interested in maintaining an active sex life. People who suffer a serious mental illness experience rejection when they open up and they lose intimate relationships or possibilities of meeting other people because of ignorance and prejudices surrounding mental health. What are the implications for practice Mental health services must respond to this need, that is including sexual needs assessment among routine standard practices or training nurses on sexual education to allow them to advise patients and their families and friends. Health systems should promote awareness programmes and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and sexuality. Abstract Introduction Sexuality‐related nursing care is scarce and mainly focuses on biological issues. There is also a lack of knowledge about how serious mental illnesses affect sexuality. Aim To explain how people with a serious mental illness perceive and experience their sexuality. Method A meta‐synthesis was conducted to integrate qualitative studies. Four databases were used to perform the search, focused in the last ten years. Nine articles were included, and their results analysed thematically. Results Four categories were identified: "Pathologized sexuality," which explains how the disorder and treatment affect sexuality; "Not my sexuality anymore,” which describes feelings emerging from the perceived limitations and the role of self‐acceptance; “Learning to manage intimate relationships,” which explains the desire to establish intimate personal relationships and define their meaning; and "Reconstructing my sexuality," which elucidates the influence of the environment on sexuality. Discussion Sexuality is influenced by several factors, the main ones being: the clinical complications, the side effects of drug treatment, the social support, the relationship with the health sector and stigma. Implications for practice Having a serious mental illness affects sexuality and can provoke suffering and social isolation. Mental health services should address this issue and carry out community interventions to reduce stigma.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexuality in people living with a serious mental illness: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative evidence

Hortal‐Mas

Poyato

Granel

et al. 2020

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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“…Participants in FGs also reported both paid sexual intercourse and autoerotism. The responses to these behaviors seem to depend on individual staff members' sensitivity and background, consequently resulting in somewhat idiosyncratic and incoherent reactions [29]. In our qualitative research, it is notable that remarks about MHPs' negative responses are more frequent than remarks about their positive ones, suggesting that RPFUs' affective and sexual behaviors are generally judged negatively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Affective and Sexual Needs of Residents in Psychiatric Facilities: A Qualitative Approach

Landi

Marchi

Ettalibi³

et al. 2020

Behavioral Sciences

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Background: The affective and sexual needs of psychiatric patients are often under-considered, although they contribute significantly to their general well-being. Such topics are critical for Residential Psychiatric Facilities Users (RPFUs), whose daily life is paced by therapeutic settings. The aim of this paper is to better understand how sexuality and affectivity are expressed by the RPFUs at the Mental Health Department of Modena, within psychiatric residential settings. Methods: Adult RPFUs took part into two audio recorded focus groups. Digital transcripts were analyzed using MAXQDA software in order to perform qualitative narrative analysis, so as to develop a hierarchical code system a posteriori (derived from the data). Results: Eleven participants (eight RPFUs and three investigators) attended the first focus group, and eight participants (5 RPFUs and 3 investigators) attended the second focus group. 175 interventions were analyzed and coded under seven thematic areas: (a) contraception and sexually transmitted disease prevention (N = 17); (b) affective needs (N = 11); (c) personal experiences (N = 61); (d) regulation of sexual relations (N = 18); (e) Mental Health Professionals’ (MHPs) openness towards the topic (N = 17); (f) MHPs’ responses to RPFUs’ sexual behaviors (N = 33); and (g) RPFUs’ proposals (N = 18). The highlighted topics suggest that affective and sexual relations commonly occur within residential psychiatric facilities, even if mental health services often fail to recognize and address RPFUs’ affective and sexual needs as well as to provide effective solutions to manage them. Conclusions: RPFUs expressed a request for support to fulfill their affective and sexual needs and dedicated spaces for sexual activities to relieve their discomfort, while MHPs highlighted a need for awareness, training, and shared problem-solving strategies.

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“…[ 4 6 7 ] SRH is frequently overlooked by clinicians as they concentrate on treating people with psychiatric disorders. [ 9 ] It has been observed that women are reluctant to discuss their sexual needs because their focus will be on concerning psychological symptoms. [ 4 ] The researcher felt that qualitative research is an appropriate initial step to obtain more in-depth information about SRH experiences of WMI because of the complex nature of mental illness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual and reproductive health issues of women attending psychiatric clinic in India—A qualitative study

Vijayalakshmi,

Rajagopal,

Govindan

et al. 2024

Journal of Education and Health Promotion

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Background: Women with mental illness (WMI) experience considerable disparities in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) when compared to the general population. Due to their restricted access to SRH services, they have unmet contraceptive needs, a greater prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and sexual dysfunction. The study aimed to explore the SRH issues of WMI in a tertiary care psychiatric outpatient clinic in Bengaluru, India. Materials and Method: A qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used. A reproductive age group (18-49 years) WMI (n = 32) was selected by purposive sampling technique. The period of data collection was from January 2021 to September 2021. An in-depth face-to-face interview was conducted using a validated interview schedule. Hycner’s explicitation process was used to investigate the constituents of a phenomenon. Result: The codes revealed potential themes and subthemes. SRH issues faced by WMI were organized under three main themes, namely, (1) factors responsible for sexual dysfunction, (2) symptoms of STI and treatment adherence, and (3) use of contraception and its barrier. Conclusions: Sexual dysfunction among WMI is contributed by numerous factors. Women were exhibited limited knowledge of STI symptoms and treatment compliance. Such women experience issues with current method of contraception and are unaware of the alternatives. The findings of this study may be helpful for clinical nurses in drawing attention to and increasing knowledge of the reproductive health issues that women with psychiatric disorders face, taking the required precautions, and devising strategies for minimizing harm.

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Neglected sexual needs: A qualitative study in Iranian patients with severe mental illness

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

Sexuality in people living with a serious mental illness: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative evidence

Sexuality in people living with a serious mental illness: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative evidence

Affective and Sexual Needs of Residents in Psychiatric Facilities: A Qualitative Approach

Sexual and reproductive health issues of women attending psychiatric clinic in India—A qualitative study

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