The impact of an ostomy on sexuality.

Creation of an ostomy results in physiological and psychological changes that affect sexuality. Major physiological complications for men include erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory difficulties. For women, dyspareunia is the most common physiological complication. The presence of an ostomy can alter a person's body image, which, in turn, influences the desire for sexual activity. Sexuality concerns should be addressed with all patients undergoing ostomy placement. The PLISSIT model, which outlines four stages of interventions used in sexual counseling, can be used to guide nursing care.

The lived experience of women who undergo prenatal diagnostic testing due to elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening.

PURPOSE: To explore the lived experiences of a sample of 16 pregnant women who obtained an elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening and had further prenatal diagnostic procedures to determine fetal status. DESIGN: Phenomenology METHODS: Sixteen pregnant women were interviewed on two occasions, immediately after contact with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, and again during the immediate postpartum period. Interviews were conducted until analysis indicated that there was emergence of common themes. A nine-step method was used in the analysis procedure. RESULTS: The exhaustive description of the experience revealed four chronological reaction periods during the experience. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Interactions clearly demonstrated the need for nursing interventions throughout the experience of prenatal diagnostic testing.

Addressing couples' sexuality concerns during the childbearing period: use of the PLISSIT model.

During pregnancy, a couple may benefit from discussing sexuality concerns with a nurse. Couples indicate they do not receive this support, and frequently nurses state they do not have the knowledge, time, or skills to provide patient education regarding sexuality. The PLISSIT model provides a framework for developing and implementing interventions to assist clients in maintaining their sexual relationship throughout the childbearing experience.

Using the PRECEDE model to determine junior high school students' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about AIDS.

The effectiveness of a one-period school-based AIDS education program on an adolescent population of seventh and eighth grade students (N = 585) was determined. An instrument based on the PRECEDE model was used to assess program effectiveness. Three-way analysis of variance indicated significant differences (p v .01) between pretest to posttest scores for knowledge, attitude, and beliefs for those who received the program versus those who did not by grade and gender of students. The intervention group scored significantly higher than the comparison group on knowledge gain for both seventh and eighth grade students and for males and females. On attitude items, a significant increase occurred from pretest to posttest for eighth grade students who received the program, but not for seventh grade students. The experimental group of eighth grade students scored higher on the attitudes component than the comparison of eighth grade students on the posttest. When attitudes were examined by gender for females in the educational intervention, an increase occurred in attitude scores from pretest to posttest. While belief scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest for the experimental seventh and eighth grade students, significant increases occurred only for experimental group females. Findings support the contention that a one-class period AIDS education program can affect more than just knowledge since attitudes and beliefs also were partially affected.