Sexual health: concepts, practices, and clinical applications

Sexual Health

The issue of Sexual health is one that has never been given the attention that it deserves and the general approach that discussing issues pertaining to sex is sinful has resulted in the increase of several sexual problems such as reproductive disorders, fertility problems, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and so on. This paper attempts to disclose the barriers impeding people from having a healthy discussion on issues related to sex and the role, we as counselors, social workers, clinicians, and educators can play in promoting the idea of sexual health amongst the general population.

Barriers to Sexual Health:

Several factors can be held responsible for the inadequacy of awareness of sexual health in people. As long as people keep thinking of sex as a taboo and something to keep their children away from; no progress can be made in this regard. Because of the unwillingness of the parents to openly discuss matters relating to sex children may get misguided. According to the " provisional figures for 1998 indicating that 8.4 per 1,000 of 13- to 15-year-olds and 67.6 per 1,000 of 16- to 19-year-olds became pregnant in Scotland.The rates of teenage pregnancies remain high in other European states like U.K, France, Romania etc." (Mike McCabe)

Although the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been given a lot of attention in the recent years yet other issues pertaining to sexual health have been ignored and people are not inclined towards discussing these issues unless a problem arises. Many people might feel ashamed to discuss something as private as their sex lives in front of strangers and assume that things might get better on their own due to the lack of critical information about their disorders.

Only in 35% cases physicians are reported to have taken full sexual history of the patient. The reason could be that the physician might not consider sexual history as an important clue towards the solution of the complaint at hand, or he might be embarrassed or ill prepared to handle the situation. A physician's uncomfortable and non-empathetic attitude or willingness to consider the importance of sexual concerns of his patient constitutes the primary barriers to discussing sexual health care.

Improving Sexual Healthcare:

First of all there is a need to increase awareness in people about the merits of safe sex and fidelity towards one's spouse so as to limit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as Aids. Social workers and media have played and continue to play a crucial and beneficial role in this aspect. They need to stress on the use of condoms as a preventive measure to keep safe from STDs. There are help-lines available for people aged 12-18 where they can get help in understanding the sexual issues that might confuse them.

Here another thing worth mentioning is that children are most inquisitive about the sexual changes occurring in their bodies as they attain puberty. In such circumstances the first people they look to for support are their parents. Hence parents should encourage their children to frankly discuss such issues with them lest they should be inclined to gather information from other less reliable sources. Teachers can also play a vital role in educating these children to be more receptive of the changes they are going through. At this stage their guidance can help decide the way a child may react to the sexual issues arising later in life. Primary sex education needs to be included in the syllabus of various schools so that children might learn to develop a healthy sexual drive and realize the dangers of indulging in sexual activities before the correct time.