Sexuality and Disability最新文献

Abstract

When Jumai told her cousin, she wanted to get intimate with a man, her cousin replied that as a blind woman she should not be thinking about things like that, but instead should be on her knees praying. Disabled women in Nigeria often experience this kind of pushback if they express sexual desire. Sexual and reproductive health interventions for disabled people in Nigeria usually exclude desires and pleasures, and only address vulnerabilities to sexual violence or ill-health. Beyond Nigeria, pleasure has also been missing in health and policy discourses regarding disabled people and regarding African women. Now research, activism and advocacy have started to bring pleasure into the discourse in relation to both disabled people and African women. However, for disabled African women, the possibilities for pleasure continue to be side-lined. This article starts to address that gap by presenting qualitative research with five disabled women in Nigeria about their experiences of sexuality and pleasure. A sexuality education program inspired by the findings of this research is presented.

Introduction

The needs of people living with disabilities regarding sex and sexual health remain largely neglected. Knowledge and resources about disabled sexuality have emerged mainly from the global north and have centered on heteronormative ideas about sex, gender, and sexuality.

Methods

An affirmative, sex positive, queer, and intersectional exploration was undertaken of the experiences and needs a group of adults with disabilities living in Gauteng, South Africa in relation to accessing information about sex, sexuality, and sexual health. Interviews were conducted with people of diverse disabilities, language groups, and cultural backgrounds. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

The participants revealed that sexual encounters, relationships, and dating were infused with negative experiences related to lack of understanding about sex, internalized ableism, exploitation, and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse resulting from societal stigma and ignorance regarding disability. Participants offered suggestions for how their needs could be addressed.

Conclusion

Our study concludes that the denial of sexual rights is a central element of the broader forms of social exclusion that people with disabilities. In South Africa, many of these forms of exclusion have been compounded by the legacy of apartheid, and the persistence of racial inequality, taboos about sex, and stigmas associated with disability.

Despite its importance and numerous benefits, sexual health in the elderly is often a neglected topic due to gender- and age-specific taboos and stereotypes, especially those addressing elderly women. A qualitative study was conducted using focus group interviews to explore the factors influencing the sexual health of elderly women. Twenty-four married elderly women from Tehran with different socioeconomic statuses and a mean age of 65.33 ± 5.32 participated in 7 focus group interviews. Content analysis was done following the deductive method of Elo and Kyngäs (2008) and based on the different levels of socioecological approach. Overall, the findings indicated the importance of influential factors at 5 different levels as the main categories which included 14 sub-categories. In addition to individual factors such as health and age-related changes, the participants regarded the role of sexual adaptation and the level of satisfaction with it in different periods of life as important factors contributing to the elderly women’s sexual health. The role of the husband’s health and the quality of the relationship with him along with the children influences were also found to have a decisive role at the interpersonal level. At higher levels, factors such as having privacy, the attitude of health care workers, and socio-cultural beliefs also contributed to sexual health. Results of this study are expected to provide the basis for future research and strengthen sexual health programs for the elderly based on social structures.

The aim of this article was to identify educational interventions on sexuality for parents of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. This is an integrative literature review. In May, 2023, searches were carried out in 12 databases using the keywords: intellectual disability, sexuality, sexual communication, intervention, program, and parents and Boolean operators AND and OR. The thematic analysis of the nine articles found resulted in the theme: Sex education programs and their interventions, and three sub-themes: (a) conceptualization and design of the programs; (b) from taboo to confidence: increasing self-perception of competence to approach sex education; and (c) speaking the same language: how sex education can contribute to improving communication between parents and children with intellectual disabilities. The results showed that the interventions were effective in promoting positive changes in self-efficacy, contributed to increasing knowledge about sexuality, improved the quality and frequency of communication about sexuality in the family context, and addressed parents' beliefs and attitudes, considering their cultural and personal context with a view to promoting positive changes in these areas. The development of sex education strategies prepares parents and families for handling and safely guiding children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The interventions showed a positive impact on parents and their children. Future investigations combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to the evaluation of these sex education programs are necessary, in order to provide a broader and deeper view of the results achieved.

This study explores how attitudes toward talking about sex and sexual matters influence practices regarding sexuality, sexual rights, and sexual abuse in residential institutions for people with disabilities in Greenland. 16 residents aged 17–62 and 29 managers and staff from 8 residential institutions have been interviewed about the ways sexual needs and rights are treated and discussed as well as how sexual harassment and violations are prevented or handled. The results of the study show that there are great variations between the residential institutions regarding meeting residents’ sexual needs, talking about sex, sex education, and knowledge of rules and policies in the area. While some managers and staff are quite comfortable talking to residents and each other about sex, boundaries, and the body, others find it extremely difficult and some even reject the thought of sex as a relevant topic for the residents. Regardless of the level of openness about sexual matters in the residential institutions, staff and managers express a need for more sex education with a focus on how they can best help, guide, and protect residents, but guidance about sex is much more available for residents when staff feel comfortable talking about sex. Sexual violations and illegal sexual contact might take place in residential institutions regardless of the local practices regarding sex and sex education. However, openness about sexual matters might help detect overstepped sexual boundaries and stop sexual harassment and violations earlier.

There is limited information regarding the level of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among disabled students in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of sexual and reproductive health services utilization and its associated factors among disabled students in selected Universities in Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted. A simple random sampling method was used to draw study participants. EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 25.0 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05. The overall utilization of sexual and reproductive health services was 36.22% among 557 disabled participants. Marital status (AOR = 5.50; 95% CI: 2.64, 11.46), discussing sexual and reproductive health issues (AOR = 3.84; 95% CI: 2.596, 5.689), knowledge about sexual and reproductive health (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.16, 4.28), and attitude towards sexual and reproductive health (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.94, 4.23) were statistically associated with utilization of sexual and reproductive health services. This study showed a low proportion of disabled students had utilized sexual and reproductive health services. The most utilized services were voluntary testing and counseling followed by family planning.

This study aimed to delve into the intricate dynamics of disclosing invisible disabilities within romantic relationships through the lens of Impression Management Theory. Specifically, we examined how disclosing an invisible disability influences the impression formed by the partner, as indicated by the willingness to continue the relationship. A total of 732 college students without disabilities were randomly assigned to read a scenario in which the main character was told of the current partner’s invisible disability (asthma, epilepsy, or schizophrenia), at different times of disclosure (second date/ three months into a relationship/six months into a relationship). Participants then completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to measure their affective responses following the disclosure. Finally, they rated the main character’s degree of willingness to continue the relationship. Results indicate that negative affect mediated the association between disability type and relationship continuity willingness. Gender-based emotional responses varied, with disclosure timing moderating these effects. For women, revealing schizophrenia later in the relationship correlated with stronger negative emotions and a greater willingness of the partners to continue the relationship. These findings contribute to our comprehension of how disclosing invisible disabilities influences partner impressions, highlighting role of gender dynamics. By applying Impression Management Theory, we have shed light on the multifaceted nature of self-presentation and societal attitudes that shapes the dynamics of romantic relationships. Our findings hold practical implications for individuals navigating the disclosure of disabilities in intimate relationships, while also offering theoretical insights into the complex interplay between societal perceptions and individual experiences.