Sexuality of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities as Described by Support Staff Workers 1 (original) (raw)
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Sexuality of adults with intellectual disabilities as described by support staff workers
Hrvatska Revija za Rehabilitacijska Istraživanja, 2017
Historically, people with intellectual disabilities have been labeled as asexual or as perpetrators or victims of sexual abuse (McDaniels, Fleming, 2016). They often face discrimination because of their sexuality, regardless of whether they live within residential facilities or family homes (Wingles-Yanez, 2014). This paper presents research results from qualitative studies of the sexuality of adults with intellectual disabilities. Applying a phenomenographic method (Paulston, 1993), the authors conducted 16 interviews with professionals at several daycare and residential centres in north-eastern Poland who work with intellectually disabled people. The specific research aims were to answer the following questions: (1) How do support staff workers perceive sexuality and intimate relationships of adults with intellectual disabilities? (2) Which factors contribute to the sexuality and intimate relationships of adults with intellectual disabilities according to support staff workers? (3...
British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2019
• Support workers' attitudes towards the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities are important. They can influence the support people with intellectual disabilities receive regarding their affective and sexual life. • Six support workers talked about their personal experiences. They talked about what they found easy and difficult when helping people with intellectual disabilities express their sexual life and needs. • They said that sexuality is a right, a health matter and an important need. They also said it was sometimes difficult to include sexuality in their work. • They also said they often feel insecure and uncertain about how to help because sexuality is a difficult subject to talk about. They wanted to help people make their own decisions, but also wanted to protect them if needed.
Sexual attitudes of personnel who work with individuals with intellectual disability
2009
The capacity, in the Czech Republic, for measuring attitudes towards this important aspect of a person's life is limited by the lack of an appropriate instrument. The aim of this study was to adapt the new instrument "Attitudes to Sexuality Questionnaire" (Cuskelly & Gilmore, 2007) and translate it into the Czech language. The purpose of this study was to examine, in the pilot study, the attitudes of schoolmasters toward the sexuality of persons with intellectual disability. From among Special Olympics participants, 20 persons (n = 20, 11 females and 9 males) were enrolled in this study. From the results it is apparent that respondents held positive attitudes toward people with intellectual disability and toward people from the general population. The most positive views were toward the non reproductive sexual behaviour subscale. The less positive views were presented toward the sexual rights subscale. A review of the literature contained a comparison of the situation ...
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018
The normalisation movement calls for more recognition of the sexual rights of people with intellectual disabilities to challenge classically paradoxical cultural beliefs: 'hypersexual' versus 'asexual'. This meta-ethnographic qualitative synthesis aimed to explore the voices of people with intellectual disabilities in regards to their experiences and perceptions of sexuality using a Coordinated Management of Meaning framework to derive new conceptual understandings of how their sexuality exists within multiple contexts. A systematic literature search and quality assessment yielded 16 studies that met the inclusion criteria and were synthesised following the method of meta-ethnography. Four core themes were identified; 'Sociocultural Norms'; 'Under Others Power'; 'Sexual Identity' and 'Sexual Experience'. Application of the hierarchical Coordinated Management of Meaning model suggested caregivers contextual beliefs about people with int...
Sexuality and Disability, 2019
The sexuality of people with disabilities is often conceptualized as asexual. Furthermore, public discourse regards people with disabilities as highly prone to sexual abuse. The few studies that contemplate on parents’ of people with intellectual disability (ID) point of view uncover the parents’ perceptions towards their ofspring’s sexuality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the sexuality of adolescents with ID from their parents perceptions. The study was conducted using a phenomenological approach and included 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with parents of adolescents with ID. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Parents’ perceptions of their children’s sexuality and their involvement concerning sexuality reveal dilemmas and tensions that remain unresolved. Although some parents did tend to treat their children’s sexuality as non-normative and as a source of problems and thus ignored, prevented, and limited their children’s sexual expressions, other parents presented diferent perspectives, acknowledging the sexuality of adolescents with ID and their right to express it. The fndings also reveal a new and exciting insight related to the conceptual space of physical contact between parents and children, which moves between physical expressions of love and care and feelings of prohibited sexuality. Professionals working with people with ID and their families should be allowed to create a professional dialogue that would enable the discussion and clarifcation of the dilemmas and challenges related to the subject.
“May I?” About Sexuality and Love in the New Generation with Intellectual Disabilities
Sexuality and Disability, 2000
The aim of the article is to identify, describe and understand the opportunities and hindrances for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in forming relationships and expressing sexuality and love. The methods are participant observations at dances geared towards youths with ID and qualitative interviews with youngsters, staff members and parents. The results show a big variation of sexual conduct, where intercourse seems to be quite unusual. The study also shows that staff and parents feel responsibility for the youngsters' sexuality and often act disciplinary as 'new institutional walls', while the youngsters develop different social strategies to cope with the surroundings. It seems clear that staffs need more guidance and education about sexuality and disability in their social interaction with a new generation of people with ID.
2008
How support workers enable, regulate or constrain the sexual expression of intellectually disabled people who live in service agency group homes is the subject of this thesis. A general literature search of what intellectually disabled people currently experience in their lives, including their experiences in the area of sexuality and intimacy, begins this investigation. Secondly, an extensive literature review of the support role, incorporating an appraisal of past and current issues related to the support position in general and to the area of sexuality support in particular, was completed. What intellectually disabled people themselves would like in relation to sexuality and intimacy support was included in this section. Thirdly, a review of research studies focussing on the operation of the support position within service agency systems was undertaken. These explorations revealed a high degree of reluctance on the part of workers to provide assistance in the sexuality area, despite a proven necessity for support to be made available to the intellectually disabled people they worked with. Review research studies suggested a variety of causal factors in explanation of this reluctance. These suggestions link to two meta-reason positions. Failure to prove support either stemmed from individual worker's inactions due to ignorance and/or incompetence, or from wider systemic failures on the part of agency services to positively value and support this key service role in this area. However, little if any analysis of the possible influence of the broader social, emotional and cultural contexts, in which the concepts 'sexuality' and '(intellectual) disability' are located, could be found in the studies reviewed. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted with front-line support workers about their sexuality support practice. Preliminary readings of the interview texts revealed a similar reluctance on the part of the workers concerned to assist those they worked with in this area. Interview texts were then subjected to a post-modernist inspired, interpretive discursive analysis. This analysis uncovered and tracked how key power/knowledge effects inherent in the terms '(intellectual) disability', 'sexuality', 'gender' and 'desire' inhering in the concept of an 'ideal (sexual) couple' interweave to shape the 'no support necessary' practice responses held in worker's interview talk. From this exploration it is suggested that research studies of workers' practices as an aspect of the promotion of change in support outcomes in the sexuality support area need to go beyond the parameters of recommendations that stem from considerations of either individual or systemic limitation alone. It remains a convincing point to suggest that poorly performing workers need retraining in this area and the overall value of the support role within service organizations needs reshaping. However, future research recommendations also need to engage more directly and effectively with the effects of the wider social and emotional "ideal (sexual) couple" ambiguities that also influence worker's lack of assistance in this complex and sensitive support area. The use of a post-modern perspective as a helpful conceptual tool in unpacking the power these ambiguities hold within the support position is offered as a productive way forward for future research and practice development. iii Acknowledgements While my name is on the title page of this thesis, I could not have done what I did by myself. I acknowledge, with aroha, the input of the following people.
People with intellectual disabilities (PID) share the same needs for affectionate and intimate relationships as other people. In this study, a review of the literature was performed to (a) examine the opinions reported in the peer-reviewed literature regarding the sexual experiences of PID and (b) identify factors that contribute to the promotion or restriction of sexual expression by PID. Sixteen qualitative articles were identified from electronic databases and reviewed. People with PID were found to exhibit the same spectrum of sexual life as the general population, and three major themes were identified: abstinence, regulation, and autonomy. Some PID preferred to abstain from sex, whereas others considered engagement in sexual activity to have a hand that affects and influences the rights of PID to engage in sexual activity. Further empirical research on the empowerment of sexual expression of PID and the formation of the unintended invisible hand is needed, as this will provide information to families and welfare systems and thus enhance the self-determination and rights of PID to pursue sexual expression and satisfaction.
Sexuality and individual support plans for people with intellectual disabilities
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 2017
BackgroundSexual rights and sexuality are important aspects of quality of life, also for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). However, providing support in this area to people with ID poses some challenges. In this study, the content of individual support plan (ISP) documents was analysed to determine the extent to which sexuality and sexual rights are addressed in part of the ISP documents.MethodContent analysis was carried out on a sample of 187 ISP documents from seven different service provider organisations in the Netherlands. First, we conducted a lexical search using terms related to sexuality and sexual health. The retrieved segments were then analysed.ResultsA total of 159 ISP documents (85%) of 60 men and 99 women contained some reference to aspects of sexuality. However, these references were mostly descriptive and offered little guidance in terms of providing support. Moreover, these notations mostly described negative or problematic aspects of sexuality. Referen...