A Study Of Knowledge And Attitudes Of Selected Nursing Students Toward Human Sexuality.

The purposes of the study were to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of selected, second year nursing students toward human sexuality, and to compare the scores of the second year nursing students with the national normative values for nursing students and undergraduate, non-medical females. In addition, the study investigated the effect that a one semester, five-credit hour, human sexuality course had on second year nursing students\u27 knowledge and attitudes of sexuality. The instrument utilized in the study was The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (S.K.A.T.). This questionnaire was developed by Harold I. Lief, M.D. and David Reed, Ph.D. to measure knowledge and attitudes toward sexuality. Students in the second year class of a selected baccalaureate nursing program, were pre- and post-tested during the second semester of the second year while they were enrolled in a five-credit hour course involving the human sexuality component of the nursing curriculum. The pre-test was given at the beginning of the course in February, 1979, and the post-test at the end, in May, 1979. The pre- and post-test scores of the second year nursing students\u27 knowledge and attitudes toward human sexuality were analyzed, including the sample size, the group means, and the standard deviations. These post-test scores were compared and contrasted with national norms for nursing students and for undergraduate, non-medical students, as collected by Dr. Lief and Dr. Reed at the Center for The Sex Education in Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. There were significant differences of knowledge scores on: (1) the pre- and post-tests of the second year nursing students, and (2) the post-tests scores of the second year nursing students and the national undergraduate, non-medical females. The national nursing students\u27 scores and the second year nursing students\u27 post-test scores did not indicate significant differences. The attitudinal section of the S.K.A.T. questionnaire was divided into four sections. These included autoeroticism, abortion, acceptance of sexual myths, and heterosexual relations. The attitudinal scores of the second year nursing students, the national undergraduate, non-medical females, and the national nursing students did not follow a consistent pattern in these groupings. For example, attitudes toward abortion showed a significant difference among the second year nursing students\u27 post-test scores and the national nursing students\u27 scores. In addition, a significance was noted between the second year nursing students\u27 post-test scores and those of the national undergraduate, non-medical females. However, there were no significant differences among the groups in relation to attitudes toward sexual myths. Attitudes toward heterosexual activities showed a significant difference between the second year nursing students\u27 post-test scores and the scores of the undergraduate, non-medical females only. The attitudinal scores in relation to autoeroticism showed a significant difference between the second year nursing students\u27 post-test scores and the national nursing students\u27 scores. Also, a significant difference was indicated among the second year nursing students\u27 pre- and post-test scores. It was concluded that this investigation should be followed by additional research to test the effects of human sexuality courses on attitudinal and knowledge change. In addition, further research is needed to investigate the relationship between educational interventions and the ones most useful in effecting attitudinal change