Safe Sex; Knowledge and Behavior Assessment in Patients with Severe Mental Illnesses - Abstract
Introduction: It seems patients with severe mental illnesses (SMI) are more prone to sexual health complications than general population due to loss of skills, partially impaired judgment and experience of some cognitive deficits. This study aims to explore safe sex knowledge and behavior in these patients in order to determine their need for safe sex education.
Methods: The levels of knowledge and behavior were assessed with validated “Safe Sex Knowledge and Behavior Questionnaire for Patients with Severe Mental Illnesses” (SSKBQ-SMI) in 265 SMI patients in Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Data were statistically analyzed with SPSS.
Results: The mean score of knowledge in 265 patients was 8.901 (SD=3.863) out of 16 and it was significantly related to age, education, occupation, number of hospitalizations, history of substance use, history of hearing about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), history of having intercourse, and sources of safe sex information. The mean score of sexual behavior in 90 patients was 13.922 (SD=3.383) out of 48 and it was significantly related to the history of substance use and the knowledge scores.
Conclusion: SMI patients had a lack of knowledge in different sexual health aspects and had high-risk behaviors. The higher levels of knowledge in these patients did not necessarily lead to safer sexual behavior, so it is recommmended to design appropriate interventions in order to increase their knowledge and improve their behavior in this regard.