Prevention of sexual safety incidents within older adult, disability and mental health care settings: a scoping review
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Date
2026-07-22
Authors
Biskupovic Goulding, Ryan
Egan, Caroline
Dalton O' Connor, Caroline
Naughton, Corina
Hartigan, Irene
Loughlin, Kathleen Mc
O'Malley, Maria
Hegarty, Josephine
Burton, Aileen
Wills, Teresa
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Abstract
Objectives The main objective of this scoping review was to map interventions and strategies to promote sexual safety and reduce the risk of harm in health and social care settings and to critically examine the effect on reported outcomes. Methods This review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines on the conduct of a Scoping Review. Both empirical and grey literature were considered to capture the full extent of data on sexual safety. The PRISMA-ScR extension was used to guide the reporting of this review. Results In total, 18 studies (17 from databases and one grey literature report) were identified relating to the prevention or management of sexual safety incidents. Specific themes were: Staff education, training and awareness, sexual safety culture, sexual safeguarding (peer-to-peer and resident/client to staff), and national policy and system response. There is very limited empirical evidence on the effectiveness of interventions and prevention strategies to promote sexual safety in congregated health and social care settings, with sexual behavior and sexual abuse remaining taboo subjects that are under recognized and often inadequately managed at both individual and system levels. The importance of staff training incorporating the voice of victims, organizational procedures and leadership on safeguarding, and the need for national monitoring and system readiness is highlighted. Conclusion Sexual safety in congregated settings is complex, requiring evidence-based and multifaceted interventions, supported by comprehensive stakeholder engagement. Diverse approaches require layered responses to balance the rights of potential victims and perpetrators based on detailed and sensitive risk assessment. Research priorities informed by advocacy and stakeholder involvement are needed to develop sexual safety programmes to improve practice and environmental safety for all.
Description
© 2026, the Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Keywords
SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production , SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions , Intellectual disability , Mental health , Older adult , Prevention , Scoping review , Sexual safety , [NursingMidwifery]
Citation
Biskupovic Goulding, R, Egan, C, Dalton O' Connor, C, Naughton, C, Hartigan, I, Loughlin, K M, O'Malley, M, Hegarty, J, Burton, A, Wills, T, Martin, A-M, Caples, M, Leane, M, Ó Súilleabháin, F, Drakos, K, Hughes, L, Nolan, J P & O'Mahony, J 2026, 'Prevention of sexual safety incidents within older adult, disability and mental health care settings: a scoping review', International Journal of Sexual Health, pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2026.2690240
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