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Behavioral Health Provider Attitudes and Beliefs about Sexuality and Intimacy: Findings from a Mixed Method Design

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Abstract

Recovery-oriented services overlook a crucial health domain for persons with severe mental illnesses (SMI): sexuality and intimacy. Though this aspect of social recovery correlates with improved life quality and treatment outcomes, behavioral health (BH) providers avoid such topics. The study’s purpose was to obtain an updated snapshot of their attitudes and beliefs about sexuality and intimacy communication. Utilizing a community advisory board, we adapted the Sexual Attitudes and Beliefs Survey (SABS) and distributed it via survey link to a national listserv. We used independent samples t-tests to examine differences on SABS mean scores by gender, age group, educational attainment, and previous training on sexuality and intimacy. We asked open-ended questions and coded responses using content analysis. Participants with more education and previous exposure to training on sexuality and intimacy were more likely to hold open views on communication. Findings offer directions for addressing this neglected aspect of recovery.

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Notes

  1. Behavioral health: Behavioral health is a general term used to refer to both mental health and substance use (SAMHSA-HRSA 2015). https://www.samhsa.gov/section-223/certification-resource-guides/key-terms-definitions.

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Acknowledgements

The contents of this article were developed with the assistance of a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR; Grant 90RT5021-02-00; Salzer, PI). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and endorsement by the Federal government should not be assumed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education and Social Work, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 327 Dawson Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19128, USA

    Julie Tennille, Casey Bohrman, Emma Compton & Evan Meduna

  2. Psychiatry, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio, USA

    Stacey Barrenger

  3. Center for Family Services, Camden, NJ, USA

    Louis Klein

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  1. Julie Tennille
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Correspondence to Julie Tennille.

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Tennille, J., Bohrman, C., Barrenger, S. et al. Behavioral Health Provider Attitudes and Beliefs about Sexuality and Intimacy: Findings from a Mixed Method Design. Community Ment Health J 58, 444–453 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00838-1

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