Sexual Interest and Adjustment for Spinal Cord Injury Patients / 재활간호학회지

ABSTRACT

The purposes of this study were to identify sexual interest and adjustment in patients with spinal cord injury and to determine the factors that relate to sexual adjustment. A total of 134 persons included in this study was the members of spinal cord injury organization and the impatients in rehabilitation unit between February and June 1999. Five questionnaires were answered concerning importance of life events, sexual concern, sexual adjustment, relationship with a sex partner, and depression. The collected data were analyzed by Frequency, t-test, ANOVA and pearson correlation. The results were as follows 1) Considering the importance among 11 areas of life, economic status occupied the top, sex life held the sixth rank, and the mean rating for social life being 3.78 was the lowest of all. 2) As regard to 7 topics related to sexuality, the most attention was drawn to methods and techniques achieving sexual satisfaction, and the next interest was for helping partners cope emotionally with sexual dysfunction. 3) The mean for sexual adjustment and depression was average, and the mean for sex partner relationship was high. 4) Sexual adjustment in spinal cord injury patients correlated with economic status and sex partner relationship. While it was inversely correlated with age and depression. It was found that lower age and less depression play a positive role on sexual adjustment by SCI people. Also, higher economic status and favorable sex partner relationship increase sexual adjustment. In conclusion, a sex partner relationship, depression, economic status, and age seemed to influence on their sexual adjustment after SCI. Also, psychosocial factors would be more important for satisfying sexual life and relationship rather than physical factors.