En femtedel av de som drabbas av ryggmärgsskada i Sverige är kvinnor. Ryggmärgsskadan kan orsaka åtskilliga problem för kvinnorna när det gäller deras sexliv och sexualitet, både fysiska och psykiska. Kvinnor med ryggmärgsskada har stigmatiserats av samhället i fråga om deras önskan och behov att ett sexliv. Forskning om kvinnornas erfarenheter av sin sexualitet är bristfällig. En översikt av den forskning som finns skulle bidra till att få ett bredare perspektiv inom området. Syftet i studien var därför att belysa vad kvinnor med ryggmärgsskada har för erfarenheter av sin sexualitet. Metoden var en litteraturöversikt som inkluderade elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Dessa var både kvantitativa och kvalitativa. Resultaten visade att mer än hälften av kvinnor med ryggmärgsskada var nöjda med sitt sexliv. Kvinnorna behövde tid att anpassa sig efter skadan och för att bygga upp den sexuella självkänslan. Detta kunde medföra att kvinnorna med ryggmärgsskada skapade sig positiva erfarenheter som bidrog till ett tillfredsställande sexliv. Kvinnorna längtade efter intimitet och var både innovativa och positivt inställda till att övervinna svårigheter som skadan medförde gällande sexlivet. Rådgivningen som kvinnor får gällande sin sexualitet och sexliv bör vara anpassad till kvinnorna som individer och fasen av rehabilitering som de befinner sig i. / In Sweden, a fifth of the people with a spinal cord injury are women. The injury causes several difficulties for the women, both physical and psychological. Women are often stigmatized by the society in terms of not being thought to desire or need a sex life. There is not enough research done about how women experience their own sexuality. The aim of the study was hence to illustrate how women with spinal cord injury experience their sexuality. The method used was a literature review where 11 quantitative and qualitative articles were included. The results showed that more than half of the women with spinal cord injury were satisfied with their sex life. The women longed for intimacy; they were innovative and had positive attitudes towards overcoming the sexual difficulties the injury brought about. However, the women needed time for adjustment to be able to have a satisfying sex life. The counseling women get about their sexuality and sex life should be adjusted to fit the women as individuals. It also needs to be presented in the right way during the right phase that the women are in.

Bakgrund: Hjärt- och kärlsjukdom är den vanligaste folksjukdomen i Sverige och många av de drabbade får även problem med sexuallivet. En persons sexualliv är kopplat till upplevelser av hälsa och en av sjuksköterskans uppgift är att främja hälsa och lindra lidande. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att utifrån ett patientperspektiv undersöka aspekter av informationsgivning gällande sexuallivet hos patienter med hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar. Metod: Studien är en allmän litteraturstudie där tio artiklar med både kvalitativ och kvantitativ ansats har inkluderats. Resultatet sammanställdes med hjälp av manifest innehållsanalys. Resultat: Patienters behov och erfarenheter samt önskemål gällande information beträffande sexualliv varierar. En del patienter upplever att erhållen information rörande sexualliv är tillräcklig medan andra upplever att informationen är både otillräcklig och inadekvat. Patienterna önskade en kombination av både skriftlig och muntlig information. Det framkom också att patienter kan uppleva skam och blygsel i samband med att information beträffande sexualliv ges. Slutsats: Information gällande sexualliv till patienter med hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar bör utformas individuellt utifrån den enskilda patientens behov. / Background: Cardiovascular disease is the most common endemic disease in Sweden and many patients may experience problems with their sex life. A person's sex life is linked to perceptions of health, and one of the nurse's roles is to promote health and relieve suffering. The aim of this study is to examine, from a patient’s perspective, aspects of disclosed information regarding the sex life of patients with cardiovascular disease. Method: A literature review of ten articles which includes both qualitative and quantitative approach is studied and the results are compiled using the manifest content analysis. Results: The needs and experiences of patients as well as their preferred choice of information concerning sex vary. Some patients feel that the available information about sex life is sufficient, while others feel that the information is both insufficient and inadequate. Patients prefer a combination of both written and verbal information. The study also revealed that patients may experience embarrassment and shame when asked about their sex life. Conclusion: Information about the sexual life of patients with cardiovascular disease should be designed according to the individual needs of the patient.

With the abolition of apartheid and the introduction of a new constitutional dispensation, the state’s totalitarian exclusion of homosexuals from legal recognition was relegated to a past era. The constitutional commitment to human dignity and equality and the inclusion of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination led to the recognition of same-sex life partnerships and, inevitably, same-sex marriage by means of a civil union regime. The object of this study is to investigate the scope of the legal consequences provided to same-sex couples by the Civil Union Act 17 of 2006 and to determine the legal standing of same-sex couples who fall outside the ambit of the Act. The study includes constitutional arguments pertaining to the continued recognition of same-sex life partnerships and a critical analysis of the constitutionality of the Civil Union Act as a separate measure to govern same-sex marriage. This investigation is conducted with reference to relevant legislation and case law. / Private Law / LL.M. (Private Law)

With the abolition of apartheid and the introduction of a new constitutional dispensation, the state’s totalitarian exclusion of homosexuals from legal recognition was relegated to a past era. The constitutional commitment to human dignity and equality and the inclusion of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination led to the recognition of same-sex life partnerships and, inevitably, same-sex marriage by means of a civil union regime. The object of this study is to investigate the scope of the legal consequences provided to same-sex couples by the Civil Union Act 17 of 2006 and to determine the legal standing of same-sex couples who fall outside the ambit of the Act. The study includes constitutional arguments pertaining to the continued recognition of same-sex life partnerships and a critical analysis of the constitutionality of the Civil Union Act as a separate measure to govern same-sex marriage. This investigation is conducted with reference to relevant legislation and case law. / Private Law / LL.M. (Private Law)

The Maintenance of Surviving Spouses Act 27 of 1990 came into operation thirty years ago and has remained relatively unchanged since its promulgation. The stated objective of the Act is to provide the surviving spouse with a claim for maintenance against the estate of the deceased spouse in certain circumstances. This objective is sound, as it is evident from an analysis of the history of our law that legislation was needed to address the financial position of a survivor following the death of his or her spouse. The practical application of the Act is, however, not as robust as it does not always achieve the stated objective and often leads to unintended consequences. This research has a dual objective. The first aim is to analyse the practical considerations when an executor applies the Act and to consider the challenges the executor must deal with when considering a maintenance claim under the Act. The second aim is to investigate possible solutions to these challenges and to consider whether there are viable alternative arrangements for the way in which a maintenance claim under the Act is handled. The purpose of the study is to formulate a comprehensive recommendation for legislative reform of the Act so that the practical application of the Act achieves a result that reflects the objective of the Act. / Private Law / LL.D.