Date of Award

Summer 8-9-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling and Psychological Services

First Advisor

Andrew Roach, PhD

Second Advisor

Brian Barger, PhD

Third Advisor

Erin Mason, PhD

Fourth Advisor

Emily Graybill, PhD

Abstract

Despite the evidence indicating that sexual health education for students results in positive outcomes for students by reducing risks, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) do not typically receive sexual health education. While school psychologists possess numerous skills that could contribute to sexual health education for students with I/DD, there is no existing research on this topic. This dissertation reports the results of a survey of Georgia school psychologists regarding their attitude, perception of social norms, perception of behavioral control/self-efficacy, and training/familiarity in regards to implementation of and advocacy for sexual health education for students with I/DD. The survey’s focus and design was guided by the Reasoned Action Approach. Data collection and analyses addressed a) the underlying factor structure of the survey; b) school psychologists’ beliefs regarding the importance of sexual health education for students with I/DD, support from employers and colleagues for implementation of sexual health education for students with I/DD, training received in this area, and potential barriers to implementation of sexual health education for students with I/DD; and c) the relationship between school psychologists’ attitude, perceived social norms, perceived behavioral control/self-efficacy, and training/familiarity and their implementation/advocacy of sexual health education for students with I/DD. Descriptive statistics, principal component analyses, and multiple regression were used to summarize the data and answer the research questions. Data from the multiple regression analysis indicated that 33.4% of the variance in Implementation/Advocacy was explained by Attitude, Social Norms, Behavioral Control/Self-Efficacy, and Training/Familiarity. The overall regression model was significant. Further, the Training/Familiarity and Behavioral Control/Self-Efficacy scales, as individual predictors, were also statistically significant. This is consistent with the researchers’ hypothesis that school psychologists’ engagement in implementation of and advocacy for sexual health education for students with I/DD can be influenced by level of training and knowledge and perceived capability and behavioral control.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31922/g0vw-ra20

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