Research Article: Gender-specific motivation for training in sexual history
Abstract:
Although sexual history taking is an essential component of a comprehensive medical history, it is often omitted in practice. To ensure competent assessment, this skill should be taught during medical school. However, interest in the topic—particularly among male students—remains limited. This study therefore aimed (1) to examine the impact of gender on students’ motivation to learn sexual history taking and (2) to identify gender-independent factors. The findings are intended to inform teaching innovations that foster motivation in all students and, ultimately, improve the quality of patient care.
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in the winter semester 2023/2024 among fifth- to eighth-semester medical students at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. The questionnaire comprised the Learning Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-L) and 11 self-developed items addressing potential influences on students’ motivation to learn sexual history taking. Data were analyzed using t tests, ANOVA, regression, and mediation analyses.
A total of 318 students participated (86 male, 232 female). Perceived relevance of the topic and the psychiatric clinic as the organizer of the elective course were significant predictors of motivation. Female students showed higher autonomous regulation than males [ t (118.68) = -3.48, p < 0.001, d = 0.51] and rated the topic as more relevant [ t (121.39) = -3.86, p < 0.001, d = 0.56]. Mediation analysis revealed that the gender effect on autonomous regulation was fully mediated by perceived relevance [indirect effect ab = 0.3231, 95% CI (0.160, 0.4996)].
Gender differences in motivation to attend a voluntary seminar on sexual history taking are explained by perceived relevance rather than biological sex. Relevance plays a central role in fostering autonomous motivation. Therefore, curricular strategies should emphasize the importance of sexual history taking to increase engagement across all genders. Integrating this topic into the compulsory curriculum may compensate for initial gender disparities and contribute to long-term improvements in medical interviewing and patient care.
Introduction:
Sexual health is fundamentally important to wellbeing ( 1 ), which means that sexual history also plays a key role in good medical care. Problems with sexual health are highly important in the context of patient care, which can be attributed to the high prevalence of these problems. A substantial proportion of patients—approximately one-third of men (33.4%) and nearly half of women (45.7%)—are affected by sexual problems ( 2 ). As part of a comprehensive sexual history and the subsequent examination, it is…
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