Barriers experienced by nurses in communication for sexual health education for children with intellectual disability: a qualitative study

Nurses have important responsibilities in the development of health and care services for children with intellectual disabilities. This is because it is usually the nurse who first encounters the child in all kinds of care and treatment services. Barriers to the provision of sexual healthcare by nurses have not yet been clearly discovered. This study aimed to identify the barriers experienced by nurses regarding communication for sexual health education for children with intellectual disabilities. This study was carried out with 19 nurses through in-depth interviews. The thematic analysis method was used for data analysis. Four themes emerged related to barriers in communication for sexual health education for children with intellectual disabilities by nurses as (1) communication of nurses with their patients, (2) communication on an individual level, (3) communication on the family level, and (4) institutional factors. These barriers included the lack of knowledge of children, families, and nurses, insufficient institutional support, attitudes towards sexuality and stigmatization of the family, and the prevention of sexual health education services by the aggressive behaviors of children. It is recommended to provide sexual health education to nurses and families to minimize problems in the sexual health of children with intellectual disabilities. Nurses should also be trained on sexual health policy and how to put it into practice.