The broad, long-term objectives of the present proposal is to translate findings into targeted interventions in terms of sexuality education and therapy that will help people with SCI take pleasure in their sexuality, re-establish, improve, and manage reproductive function and outcomes, and improve their overall sexual health and quality of life.
The specific aims of this study are to identify and describe beliefs, attitudes, and personal cognitive constructs that may impede or facilitate sexual function, sexual pleasure, and orgasm in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). The proposed dialectical study will use a pluralistic approach incorporating qualitative methods of phenomenology, grounded theory, and phenomenography that utilize in-depth, open-ended interviews and quantitative methods utilizing standardized measurement tools. The qualitative methods stem from a constructivistic paradigm guided by phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, and personal construct theory while the quantitative methods stem from a postpositivistic paradigm.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
1F31HD008296-01
Application #
2398145
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG2-PSF (02))
Program Officer
Michel, Mary E
Project Start
1998-01-28
Project End
Budget Start
1997-09-01
Budget End
1998-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1997
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Type
Schools of Education
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104