Sexuality: Policies, Beliefs and Practice

This paper summarises three empirical studies investigating staff attitudes towards client sexuality, with special consideration of issues surrounding HIV infection. A questionnaire survey design was employed, with 585 participants completing three separate questionnaires. Between 1990 and 1998 staff attitudes towards client sexuality became more positive, with a significant reduction in the number of staff agreeing with mandatory HIV testing over the three studies. In the final study, a significant number of staff Reported being unaware of, or uninfluenced by, organisational sexuality policy. The interaction between policy, staff beliefs and practice is discussed. When staff are aware of the policies on sexuality, their beliefs and attitudes appear to filter these policies, with staff behaviour influenced by an interaction between policies and beliefs. In conclusion, policy development needs to involve inter-agency collaboration, as well as staff and client user input, for best practice in sexuality.