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CONCEPT OF SEXUALITY
Presented By:
Rawal Rafiq Leghari
Medicose Nursing Academy
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Objectives:
At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:
• Describe normal sexual pattern
• Relate sexuality to all stages of life cycle
• Identify factors that effects sexual functioning
• Describe common risks and alteration in sexuality
• Understand the nursing process as it relate to sexual
functioning
SEXUALITY
Sexuality is a complex human characteristic that refers
not just to genital sex but to all the aspects of being male
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or female, including feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and
behavior.
Sex roles are culturally determined patterns associated
with being male and female.
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 934).
SEXUALITY
Normal sexual patterns:
Heterosexuality: Sexual activity between a man and a
woman
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Homosexuality Sexual activity between two members of
the same sex
Bisexuality is having an equal or almost equal preference
for partners of either sex
Transsexuality the belief that one is psychologically of
the sex opposite his or her anatomic gender
SEXUALITY
Sexuality and all stages of life cycle:
Children
• Parenting skills to decrease possibility of child abuse
• Children need to learn to differentiate “ good”
touching and “ bad” touching.
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• Teach children how to say “ no” when they are
uncomfortable with any touch
• The importance of reporting any sexual advances to
parents, teachers, or other adults
SEXUALITY
Adolescents
Education about physiological changes (i.e., signs of
onset of puberty; growth and development concepts)
Information on psychosocial responses to physiological
changes (i.e. body image changes)
Sexual abuse prevention
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Safe sex education (contraception, sexually transmitted
disease [STD] prevention)
SEXUALITY
YoungAdults
Safe sex education (contraception, STD prevention)
Establishment/maintenance of intimate
relationships Pregnancy and childbirth Parenting
skills.
Middle-agedAdults
Effects of aging on sexuality (e.g., menopause,
erectile dysfunction) STD prevention
Contraception
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SEXUALITY
OlderAdults
Effects of aging on sexuality
STD prevention
Ways other than intercourse to express sexuality and to
meet intimacy needs.
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 935).
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SEXUALITY
Factors which affect the sexual functions:
• Many factors influence a person’ s sexuality. Discussed
here are:
• Family,
• Culture,
• Religion,
• Personal expectations.
• Ethics.
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 940).
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SEXUALITY
• Fear of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease
• Fear of pregnancy
• Ineffective or absent role models
• Lack of privacy
• Lack of knowledge
• Lack of significant other • Altered body structure or
function • Abusive relationships.
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 940).
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SEXUALITY
Risks and alteration in sexuality:
• The ability to engage in sexual behavior is of great
importance to most people. Many individuals experience
transient problems with their ability to respond to sexual
stimulation or to maintain the response.
• A smaller percentage of people experience problems
lifelong in duration.
• The problems may be generalized to all sexual
interactions and orientation or gender identity, this
cognitive conflict may interfere with sexual relationships.
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 942).
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SEXUALITY
Sexual Desire Disorders:
For most people, sexual desire varies from day to day and
over the years. Some people, however, report a deficiency
in or absence of sexual fantasies and persistently low
interest or a total lack of interest in sexual activity; these
clients suffer from hypoactive sexual desire disorder. If
both individuals in a relationship are similarly uninterested
in sex, there really is no problem.
Cont…
• Sexual aversion disorder: is a severe distaste for sexual
activity or the thought of sexual activity, which then leads
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to a phobic avoidance of sex. It occurs in both women
and men.
• Sexual Arousal Disorders:
• Sexual arousal refers to the physiological responses and
subjective sense of excitement experienced during
sexual activity.
• Lack of lubrication and failure to attain or maintain an
erection are the major disorders of the arousal phase.
Cont… .
• In female sexual arousal disorder, the lack of vaginal
lubrication causes discomfort or pain during sexual
intercourse.
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• The diagnosis of male erectiledisorder is usually made
when the man has erection problems during 25% or more
of his sexual interactions. Some men cannot attain a full
erection, and others lose their erection prior to orgasm.
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 943-944).
SEXUALITY
Nursing process as it relates to sexual
functioning: Assessment:
• Because sexuality and sexual functioning are aspects of health
and well-being, they are a part of nursing care and need to be
assessed.
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• Clients are often hesitant to introduce the topic of sex with their
primary health care providers.
• They may be too embarrassed, they may think that they should
not have sexual problems in our liberated times, or they may
think they are too old or too young to have these problems.
SEXUALITY
• Information about a client’ s sexual health status
should always be an integral part of a nursing
assessment.
• The amount and kind of data collected depend on the
context of the assessment, that is, the client’ s reason
for seeking health care and how the client’ s sexuality
interacts with other problems.
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SEXUALITY
Identifying Clients at Risk:
• Clients at risk for altered sexual patterns include those
experiencing the following:
• Altered body structure or function due to trauma,
pregnancy, recent childbirth, anatomic abnormalities of
the genitals, or
a variety of diseases
• Physical, psychosocial, emotional, or sexual abuse;
sexual assault.
• Disfiguring conditions, such as burns, skin conditions,
birthmarks, scars (e.g., mastectomy), and ostomies
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• Specific medication therapy that causes sexual
problems
Cont… .
Diagnosing:
• The NANDA International (Herdman & Kamitsuru, 2014)
nursing diagnoses relating specifically to sexuality
include the following:
• •
•
or normal sexual changes over the life
span) related to misinformation and sexual myths
Cont…
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Planning:
• Overall goals to meet clients’ sexual needs include the
following:
• Maintain, restore, or improve sexual health.
• Increase knowledge of sexuality and sexual health.
• Prevent the occurrence or spread of STIs.
• Prevent unwanted pregnancy.
• Increase satisfaction with the level of sexual functioning.
• Improve sexual self-concept.
• Self-knowledge and comfort with their own sexuality
Cont…
Implementing:
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• The interventions the nurse selects are based on the data
obtained from the client and the identified nursing
diagnoses.
• Many interventions are directed at providing information
about sexual health and counseling for altered sexual
function.
• Nurses require six basic skills to help clients in the area
of sexuality:
Cont… .
Evaluating:
• The goals established during the planning phase are
evaluated according to specific desired outcomes also
established during that phase.
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• If any outcomes have not been achieved, the nurse
should explore the reasons with questions such as the
following:
• Were risk factors correctly identified?
• Did the client convey all significant fears and concerns
about sexuality?
Kozier & Erb’ s (2008, p. 945-951).
Reference:
Berman, A, T. Snyder, S. Frandsen. (2008).
(10th ed). Pearson,
USA.
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Jacob, A. R. R, Tarachand. S. J. (2011). Clinical Nursing
Procedures: The Art of Nursing Practice (2nd ed.) JAYPEE:
New Delhi.
Thappa, B. (2002). Fundamentals of Nursing (1st ed.) Jaypee.
New Delhi. India.
Jacob, A. R. R, Tarachand. S. J. (2011). Clinical Nursing
Procedures: The Art of Nursing Practice (2nd ed.) JAYPEE:
New Delhi.
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