An understanding of human sexuality is vital as it involves sex, pleasure, and gender identity and promotes sexual health. In their article “Assessment of Knowledge, Comfort and Attitudes of Physiotherapy Students Towards Human Sexuality,” Wittkopf et al. (2018) argue about the impact of knowledge, comfort, and attitudes towards human sexuality. When students try to enlarge their knowledge about sexual health, they get an opportunity to avoid embarrassing situations. Sexuality determines the quality of life and health, and the way undergraduate students use their knowledge defines health care (Wittkopf et al., 2018). Future therapists should improve the level of comfort and attitudes towards sex and intimate relationships and deliver high-quality holistic treatment. There are four independent variables in the current study, namely knowledge, comfort, discomfort, and attitudes towards human sexuality. The dependent variable is physiotherapists’ preparedness in delivering treatment. The researchers aim to evaluate the relationships of the chosen variables and explain the importance of change in physiotherapy curriculums.
Method
The evaluation of several variables usually requires a quantitative method and obtaining statistical evidence. In their study, Wittkopf et al. (2018) developed a cross-sectional observational study and invited students from four universities. There were 248 (only 203 answered all questions) physiotherapy students (15% were male) enrolled in the first (29%), second (22%), third (33%), and fourth (16%) year programs (Wittkopf et al., 2018). Ethnicity, social status, and age factors were not taken into consideration because the researchers were interested in the level of knowledge and gender differences. Each participant received a participation pack that included information about the study, a consent form, and a semi-structured questionnaire. The Scale of Knowledge, Comfort, and Attitudes was the major instrument with four properly divided domains: knowledge (11 questions), comfort (11 questions), discomfort (7 questions), and attitude (8 statements).
Results
The goal to evaluate the relationship between knowledge, comfort and attitude toward human sexuality was achieved. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used for statistical analysis, along with an independent t-test (to compare male-female scores) and an analysis of variance (to compare year differences) (Wittkopf et al., 2018). Overall results were significant, with an appropriate level of p < 0.05. In particular, domains knowledge and discomfort had the most statistically significant level (p < 0.001 and p < 0.043 respectfully), and domains comfort and attitudes were not statistically significant (p < 0.190 and p < 0.260 respectfully) (Wittkopf et al., 2018). Male and female participants showed different results in one domain only – discomfort.
Discussion
The current study shows that the year of an undergraduate program is an influential factor in developing knowledge and attitudes towards human sexuality. The fourth-year students report more discomfort in dealing with sex-related issues and discussions, which tells about particular challenges in the physiotherapy curriculum. Students need additional help and instructions, and the inclusion of sexual health education in curricula may change the situation. The chosen sample is a limitation of the study due to its biases (not all students work directly with patients and rely on their experiences, not knowledge). An unequal amount of male and female participants might lead to limited outcomes. Future studies may be based on the obtained results and use the offered scales for a qualitative approach. This article contributed to the overall understanding of psychology, underlining the importance of education and the choice of an effective curriculum for students.
Reference
Wittkopf, P. G., Sousa, T. R., Cardoso, F. L., & Sperandio, F. F. (2018). Assessment of knowledge, comfort and attitudes of physiotherapy students towards human sexuality.Sexuality and Disability, 36(2), 195-203.