Protocol

Introduction

Sexual health isa basic human need, also for those who live in prison. Sexual health includes physical, mental, social and spiritual needs throughout the lifespan. Sexual health is a neglected topic in Norwegian prisons. Prisoners are overrepresented in the statistics for sexual abuse, both as victims and perpetrators. Sexual health is important for quality of life, but in practice the topic is under-communicate despecially related to physical and mental health. This scoping review is part of a largerp roject ongoing in a Norwegian prison. The overall goal to the project is to contribute to a better quality of life, sense of mastery and a better return to life in society for prisoners. There is scarce knowledge of how to promote and sustain positive sexual health of prisoners. Time and life conditions of prisoners vary. A positive approach towards sexual health can for example be to allow focus on sexual wellbeing, intimate relationships and sexual health rights. To gain further knowledge about the topic this project searches to find information and experiences from this field, by conducting a scoping review.

Objective

To identify and explore research articles containing sexual health as a health resource for prisoners with the following research questions:

•What is known about the concept of sexual health as a health resource in prison?

•Are there examples of positive approaches towards sexual health and sexuality in prisons?

•How can sexual health promotion be done in prison?

Methods

A scoping review with narrative synthesis.