Sexuality and Spinal Cord Injury: The Lived Experiences of Intimate Partners

Eglseder, Kate; Demchick, Barbara B.

doi:10.1177/1539449217701394

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Several studies (Tepper, 1999; Fisher et al, 2002; Mona, 2003; Tepper, 2005; Celik et al, 2014; Eglseder and Demchick, 2017) and guides (Tepper, 1997a; Hammond and Burns, 2009; Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine, 2011) urge that adequate education (Eglseder and Demchick, 2017) and psychological support (Tepper, 1997b) be provided to people with SCI in order to facilitate successful participation in sexual activities. These studies also highlight the need to involve intimate partners in discussions related to sexuality during the rehabilitative process (Eglseder and Demchick, 2017) in an inclusive approach that give women, in the same way as for males, the opportunity to talk with peers with SCI about sexual health, both during initial rehabilitation and after returning home (Kreuter et al, 2008). The first and biggest result of the Love & Life project was just to accomplish in Italy a setting where a psychoeducational intervention met the needs of people with SCI and their partners, providing adequate education and psychological support, involving partners, and creating a space to talk among peers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Psychological Sexual Health of People With Spinal Cord Injury and Their Partners in an Italian Unipolar Spinal Unit: A Pilot Data Study

Federici

Francesco²,

Pigliautile

et al. 2019

Front. Psychol.

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Like the slogan of the American Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine says, “No injury, no matter how serious, can take away your ability to have a relationship, experience love, and experience the attraction between two people.” However, people with spinal cord injury (SCI) have to fight with their own and societal attitudes and stereotypes that limit sexuality to the physiological functions of genitalia, phallocentric primacy of sexual pleasure, and sexual attractiveness of perfect bodies. The scope of the present study is to evaluate the impacts of a psychoeducational intervention in a personal growth group on the sexual life of seven people with SCI and four of their partners particularly their sexual interest and satisfaction, depression, and anxiety. Due to the small samples size, nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare pre- and post-outcome measures for all participants: patients and the partners group. Possible effects of gender were also considered. The effectiveness of the psychoeducational intervention was clearly apparent, showing a high effect size in improving sexual interest and satisfaction, and the opportunity and ability to enjoy sexuality. A reduction of anxiety was also observed for all participants, although it may not have been related to the psychoeducational intervention. Moreover, the intervention significantly improved the opportunity and ability to enjoy sexuality for the partner and patient group. No effect was found on depression. This was the first initiative in Italy aiming to address the sexual life and not only to cure the sexual dysfunction of people with SCI. The positive, clear evidence of the validity of the Love & Life project’s intervention bodes well for new psychoeducational initiatives that in Italy meet the sexual needs of people with SCI and their partners, providing adequate education and psychological support, involving partners, and creating a space to talk among peers.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Psychological Sexual Health of People With Spinal Cord Injury and Their Partners in an Italian Unipolar Spinal Unit: A Pilot Data Study

Federici

Francesco²,

Pigliautile

et al. 2019

Front. Psychol.

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“…Several studies [5,9,[93][94][95][96] and guides [1,4,68] urge that adequate education [96] and psychological support [97] be provided to people with SCI in order to…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Sexual Health of People with Paraplegia

Federici¹,

Francesco²,

Diotallevi³

et al. 2021

Paraplegia

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People with paraplegia have to fight their own and societal attitudes and stereotypes that reduce sexuality to the physiological functions of genitalia. These psychological and social limitations arise from cultural and disability models that focus sexual pleasure on phallocentric primacy, and sexual attractiveness of perfect bodies. In this chapter, we evaluate the impacts of a psychoeducational intervention in a personal growth group on the sexual life of two groups of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their partners, throughout their sexual interest and satisfaction, depression, and anxiety. In the first study, nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare pre- and post-outcome measures for all participants. In the second study, the grounded theory was used to explore dialogs and activities that were audiotaped during the group meetings. The participants in both groups were patients and their partners. The psychoeducational intervention was clearly effective in increasing sexual interest and satisfaction as well as the motivation and ability to enjoy sexuality. Anxiety was minimized for all participants, although it may not have been associated with the psychoeducational intervention. In addition, the intervention significantly improved the partner and patient group’s opportunity and ability to enjoy sexuality.

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“…The correlation between sexuality and body wellness is documented worldwide. SCI has a significant impact on individuals' sexuality due to the personal feeling of his/her own sexual capability (1,3,24), as well as the social labeling of individuals with any form of disability, which may be considered to be synonymous with asexuality (3)(4)(5)25). People with SCI have problems with their marital longevity and each partner has his/her own concern with threatened intimate relationship (4,5).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regardless of their wellness, both male and female subjects with a SCI-affected spouse also got lower scores in SS. There is no question that partners of SCI-affected individuals consciously or unconsciously alter their tasks in the course of intimate partnership (3,4,25). Reports show that female subjects involved in a partnership after SCI do not consider themselves as a spouse, but more as a caregiver than being a wife or sexual partner (4,5,30), and some others believe that after the injury the partner change and is not as she used to be (30).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sexuality is important to people with spinal cord injury (SCI), regardless of their disabilities (1). Studies point out that couples with SCI are often sexually overlooked in rehabilitation centers (2)(3)(4)(5). Annually, 20 -50 per million individuals experience SCI worldwide, but in Iran this rate is higher (40 -50/million); in other words, more than 3000 people experience SCI every year (6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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