The aim of this study was to investigate how staff members at residential homes experience encountering sexuality among the youths. The study was conducted by using qualitative interviews with four staff members at four different residential homes. The interviews have been analyzed by using content analysis and have been looked at through a perspective of experience, as described by Richard Stevens, and by applying developmental psychology. The results show that, although sexuality is experienced as being distinctly present and being a topic of major concern, the staff members have given sex-education as a means by which to raise their own competence little or no thought. One way to interpret this is that sexuality and sex-education haven’t been given a sufficient space in the work with the youths. Several staff members do experience the need of skills development in order to be able to function in the role as significant others when it comes to sexuality among the youths, and express that they would like to receive training in doing so. To a certain degree they experience situations in which they are not entirely certain how to act and which they are not sure how to handle. The result is somewhat in line with what previous research has pointed at, but does not include staff members having severe problems talking about sexuality with the youths. All participants express that they have minor or no problems with talking about sexuality and with encountering sexuality-related aspects in relation to the youths.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-84698 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Eriksson, Mia |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för socialt arbete - Socialhögskolan |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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