Sexuality post–spinal cord injury 

The impairments associated with spinal cord injury (SCI) can impact participation in ADLs and personal relationships (Tonack et al., 2008). Sexual activity, defined as an ADL in the fourth edition of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (OTPF-4; American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020), is described as, “engaging in the broad possibilities for sexual expression and experiences with self or others (e.g., hugging, kissing, foreplay, masturbation, oral sex, intercourse” (p. 30). Van der Meer and colleagues (2016) found that sexuality was one of the most frequently mentioned functional health problems of a patient with an SCI during home and social activities at 1 and 5 years after discharge. Additionally, Anderson (2004) found that regaining sexual function was the highest priority of patients with paraplegia. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) can normalize sexual health as part of rehabilitation and play an important role in environmental modifications, positioning, and adapted clothing.