Survey of occupational therapy students' attitudes towards sexual issues in clinical practice

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of comfort of 340 occupational therapy students during clinical interactions that have sexual implications. Participants completed the Comfort Scale Questionnaire to indicate their anticipated level of comfort. More than half of the students anticipated that they would not feel comfortable in dealing with sexual issues. The three items that students indicated as being most uncomfortable with were 'Walking in on a patient/client who is masturbating' (91.7%), 'Dealing with a patient/client who makes an overt sexual remark' (82.1%) and 'Dealing with a patient/client who makes a covert sexual remark' (77.2%). The three items which students felt relatively comfortable with were 'Homosexual male' (26.4%), '14-year-old female seeking contraception' (26.4%) and 'Handicapped individual who is inquiring about sexual options' (33.5%). At least half the senior students believed that their educational programme had not dealt adequately with sexual issues. Further research investigating the nature and origin of discomfort in clinical settings is recommended as well as research examining the effectiveness of sexuality education in increasing comfort in dealing with sexual issues in clinical settings.