PROFESSIONAL SEXUAL BOUNDARIES - ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EAST AND WEST? AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Yeung M.T.L.1, Jones A.2, Cooper I.3,4, Jenkins S.3,4
1Singapore Institute of Technology, Health and Social Sciences Cluster, Singapore, Singapore, 2Griffith University, School of Allied Health Sciences, Gold Coast, Australia, 3Curtin University, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Perth, Australia, 4Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Physiotherapy Department, Perth, Australia

Background: Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries is an important ethical requirement of physiotherapists. Failure to operate within professional boundaries may lead to irreversible damages to the patient, profession and the public. Different cultures may have different views about appropriate sexual behaviour in general terms, but inadequately shown if these extend to professional setting.

Purpose: This study compared the perception of professional sexual boundaries across 4 countries: Singapore, Hong Kong SAR (China), Australia and United Kingdom.

Methods: A self-complete questionnaire was administered to registered physiotherapists in Singapore (SG). Respondents were asked (1) their opinions about the actions of a physiotherapist in six vignettes highlighting professional sexual boundaries; (2) the incidence of sexual attraction and dating of their patients; and (3) their course(s) of action when confronted by an allegation of sexual misconduct against a colleague. The result of the self-complete questionnaire were compared to previously published data from the Australia (A), United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong SAR (HK) studies.

Results: A total of 125 out of 163 (76.7%) responded from the self-complete questionnaire survey. The Singapore results were not significantly different (P 0.01) from HK, finding 4 of the 6 vignettes unacceptable. 80% of the respondents opted acceptable for a physiotherapist working for a sports team to date a player (Vignette E), while 45% opted acceptable to date a work colleagues to whom they had provided professional ergonomic advice (Vignette B). The SG and HK data were combined representing the East, while the A and UK data were combined representing the West. 49% of the respondents from the East opted acceptable for Vignette B, as compared to only 29% of the respondents from the West (P 0.01). A significant difference between the East and the West in their attitude towards the definition of sexual professional boundaries.

Conclusion(s): Similarities and differences exist between the East and West with regard to attitude and perception of professional sexual boundaries. In spite of the literature of conservatism in Asian cultures, it was not evident in the findings of this study.

Implications: It is important to understand the attitude and perception of professional sexual boundaries between cultures.

Funding acknowledgements: No current external funding sources for this study.

Topic: Professional issues

Ethics approval: This study received ethics approval from the Institutional Review Board of the Singapore Institute of Technology.


All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.

Back to the listing