Author(s)

Alice Chambatu^1*, Kabwe Chitundu-Mutambo², Concepta Namukolo Kwaleyela³

¹Department of Midwifery, Ndola College of Nursing and Midwifery, Ndola Teaching Hospital, Ndola, Zambia.
²Department of Mental Health, School of Nursing Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
³School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Mulungushi University, Town Campus, Kabwe, Zambia.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is among the fundamental packages of health care, which all clients seeking health care should receive. However, it is unclear how healthcare providers, in particular, nurses perceive the issue of people with mental problems having sexual health needs. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of nurses at Ndola Teaching Hospital towards sexual health needs of people with mental health problems. A general descriptive qualitative study design was utilized and data were collected using three focus group discussions (FGDs) that were recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Purposive sampling was used to select 21 nurses who participated in the study. Nine were male, while 12 were female. Each FGD comprised seven participants. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and six major themes: 1) physiological interplay among different body systems, 2) disease process and effects of psychotropic, 3) participant differences in age, gender, educational level, and cultural backgrounds, 4) staff shortages in mental health units, 5) deficient record keeping, and 6) Social stereotypes and labelling theories emerged. Despite acknowledging the existence of sexual activity among people with mental health problems; participants had both positive and negative perceptions. It is, therefore, recommended that interventions aimed at strengthening implementation of SRH guidelines among nurses caring for people with mental health problems should be put in place.

Sexuality, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Mental Health, Mental Health Problems, Nurses, Perceptions

Chambatu, A. , Chitundu-Mutambo, K. and Kwaleyela, C. (2023) Perceptions of Nurses at Ndola Teaching Hospital towards Sexual Health Needs of People with Mental Health Problems. Open Journal of Psychiatry, 13, 262-279. doi: 10.4236/ojpsych.2023.134021.