Some Peoples’ Psychological Experiences of Attending a Sexual Health Clinic and Having an STI
14.10.00
Helen Holgate, Ex-Senior Health Adviser
Kingston Hospital
c/o SSHA Research Officer
If the research work is complete, when was it completed?
1996
If the research has been published, please give details
Published in SSHA newsletter Spring 1999 and the Journal of the Royal Society, Vol 118, No.2 April 1998
Summary of research topic
This study considers aspects of the experiences of a group of people attending a sexual health clinic and receiving the diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The study was conducted in the form of action research using a qualitative approach. Participants consisted of eight attenders at a sexual health clinic who had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.
Counselling skills and techniques were used throughout semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ feelings about these issues. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes of importance to the participants.
Some people who had been to a sexual health clinic and received a diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection were found to experience feelings of anxiety, stigma and isolation.