Nurses' attitudes towards the sexuality of older people: an investigative study

This article outlines a small scale investigative study into what factors influence nurses' attitudes towards the sexuality of older people. Thirty three trained nurses completed questionnaires designed to focus on three main areas: respondents' background details, attitudes towards sexuality as a general concept, and knowledge and attitudes specifically about the sexuality of older people. Results of the study indicate that nurses' attitudes about sexuality in general were the most influential factor in predicting their attitudes to older people's sexuality. This would suggest that nurses should be given the opportunity to explore their feelings about their own sexuality in order to change attitudes and practice.