CHCS - Perspectives Winter/Spring 2016

34 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY M irtha M. Whaley, Ph.D., M.P.H., OTR/L, assist- ant professor, Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (O.T.D.) Program, and Lillian M. Freeman, graduating O.T.D. student, are embarking on the second of a two-part research project of occupational therapists’ practices in adult rehabilitation. The study, titled “Sexuality and Sexual Function: Survey of Occupational Therapists’ Practices with Individuals Across Conditions and Throughout the Life Span,” will use a quantitative survey research methodology framed by the Theory of Planned Behavior. Whaley, in her role as the study’s principal investigator, is mentoring Freeman while she completes the residency requirement for her O.T.D. degree. The research duo, who recently concluded their qualita- tive pilot study of occupational therapists in spinal-cord rehabilitation, inquired as to therapists’ assessment and intervention practices in the area of sexuality and sexual function—an activities of daily living (ADL) recognized by the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 3rd Edition (American Occupa- tional Therapy Association, 2014). That initial research study, with Freeman as principal investigator and Whaley as coinvestigator and adviser, was part of Freeman’s capstone project requirement for graduation and was accepted for presentation at the Texas Occupa- tional Therapy Association in November 2015. Study data was collected through in-depth and individ- ual face-to-face and virtual interviews. Participants’ responses revealed that addressing the ADL of sexual function was inconsistent among younger therapists participating in the study, and more consistent among the older, more experienced practitioners. Results also indicated that several factors impacted therapists’ assessment and intervention practices, and that these included personal characteristics of the therapist and the client; contextual limitations of the practice setting and the health care environment; individual and practice- related temporal factors; and availability and accessibility of outpatient therapy. The new study will use a quantitative methodology, and data will be collected through an online survey that is presently under construction. Items for the survey questionnaire are based on results of the qualitative study and findings from the research literature. The second study has two objectives. First, to quantify therapists’ inclusion of sexuality and sexual function in their practice. Second, to identify factors that are predictive of therapists’ inclusion of this important ADL, and those that pose barriers to assessing and addressing clients’ needs and concerns regarding sexuality and sexual function. ■ Occupational Therapy TAMPA Duo Takes on “Sexuality and Sexual Function” as Research Mirtha M. Whaley Lillian M. Freeman