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Utilizing the Delphi Method to Assess Issues of Sexuality for Men Living with Spinal Cord Injury

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Abstract

This study investigated the physical and psychological issues of sexuality for men after spinal cord injury and identified areas of top concern. Using the Delphi Method, a panel of expert judges (twenty men with spinal cord injury [SCI], C3-T12, age 26–59) completed a series of three questionnaires in an attempt to reach a consensus on previously identified issues. It was agreed that SCI affects physical and psychosocial aspects of sexuality and that sexual support is limited for exploring sexuality post-SCI. Additionally, insight into the social constructs of masculinity, gender roles, body image and disability and their influence on the sexual experiences of this population is provided. Enhancing patient, healthcare provider and societal awareness of sexuality for men after spinal cord injury should be an immediate area of focus to improve sexual and overall quality of life for this population.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Spinal Cord injury Ontario for their tremendous support with participant recruitment. We would like to acknowledge Lonnie Bissonnette for advocating for this study.

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jacqueline D. Kathnelson, Hala Tamim & William H. Gage

  2. School of Nursing, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Christine M. Kurtz Landy

  3. Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    David S. Ditor

Authors
  1. Jacqueline D. Kathnelson
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  2. Christine M. Kurtz Landy
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  3. Hala Tamim
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  4. David S. Ditor
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  5. William H. Gage
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Contributions

JDK was responsible for developing the protocol, collecting and analyzing data and writing the report. CMKL contributed to development of the protocol and provided feedback on the report. DSD contributed to protocol development and provided feedback on the report. HT contributed to protocol development and provided feedback on the report. WHG contributed to protocol development, data analysis and provided feedback on the report. All authors approved the version of the manuscript to be published.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacqueline D. Kathnelson.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Participants provided consent regarding publishing their data.

Ethics Approval

This study was performed in line with the principals of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the York University Research Ethics Board (file number 2019-004) and the Brock University Research Ethics Board (file number 18-235).

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Kathnelson, J.D., Kurtz Landy, C.M., Tamim, H. et al. Utilizing the Delphi Method to Assess Issues of Sexuality for Men Living with Spinal Cord Injury. Sex Disabil 39, 33–54 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-020-09673-w

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