The perceptions of psychiatric nurses towards the sexuality of individuals with mental disorders.

This study was conducted to determine the perceptions of psychiatric nurses toward the sexuality of individuals with mental disorders. The research was conducted between January 1 and March 30, 2024, employing a qualitative design and individual in depth interviews with 31 psychiatric nurses. The procedure was terminated once data saturation was achieved, and the data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Five main themes and seven sub-themes were determined. The main themes included sexual life, the factors influencing sexual life, civil rights related to sexual life (marriage and having children), inability/unwillingness to talk about sexual life (taboos and myths about sexuality, patient- and nurse-related reasons), and improving sexual health (education and counseling, paying attention). The study revealed that psychiatric nurses often disregard the sexuality of individuals with mental disorders and have inadequate skills in providing sexual care.