Experiences of Men with Paraplegia to Adjust to Their Sexuality Following Spinal Cord INjury

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of men with paraplegia to adjust with sexuality in their personal lives. The objectives are to find out the challenges men with paraplegia face during performing sexual activity and to identify how they adjust with those challenges to perform sexual activity in their personal lives. The study was a phenomenological qualitative research design to collect in- depth information of participants’ perception. Semi-structured, face to face interviews were conducted to collect the data. Purposive sampling was used and six participants who met the inclusion criteria were selected. Most of the participants informed that most common physical challenges in adjusting to sexuality were bowel and bladder incontinence, risk of pressure sore, loss of movement, pain in the lower back and knees as well as psychological challenges. The findings of this study indicate that participants had different techniques to manage these challenges, such as to discover alternative ways to engage in sexual intercourse, maintain appropriate positions and practice new techniques to adjust with the challenges in performing sexual activity. Most of the men with paraplegia reported satisfaction in their sexual lives. The research also indicates that post-injury married SCI men are more satisfied with their sexual lives than those who married prior to the injury. A person with a SCI needs proper adjustment to their sexual life to cope with those challenges. The person living with a SCI has different techniques to adjust but needs to be careful, in order to maintain some control over the consequences of living with a SCI.