Background: Persons with ID most often have incomplete, contradictory and imprecise knowledge of sexuality and sexual intercourse itself. They are not provided with sufficient information on their own body and sexuality, and are often discouraged from and sanctioned for trying to sexually express themselves. Sexual abuse due to low sexual assertiveness is also common.
Aim: The principal aim of this study was to establish the presence or absence of sexual activity in adults with ID residing in institutional housing, as well as the level and structure of their knowledge of sexuality, their sexual assertiveness and preparedness to react in a sexually dangerous situation.
Methods: The sample consisted of 100 participants with ID residing in institutional housing. The instruments used included the General Sexual Knowledge Questionnaire, What-if test and Hulbert index of sexual assertiveness. Comparative statistics included coefficient of linear correlation and multiple regression analysis.
Results: The results showed that 82% of the participants are sexually active. Most participants admitted to sometimes having sexual intercourse against their wishes as well as to having difficulty asserting themselves. Their knowledge of pregnancy, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases was very low. Female participants and those that reported having sexual intercourse had more sexual knowledge and were also more sexually assertive.
Conclusion: Knowledge of sexuality and sexual assertiveness of persons with ID residing in institutional housing is very low. Additional information on sexuality is necessary, as well as support in learning to express their own desires and to deal with unwanted sexual activity.
Podlaga: Osebe z intelektualno oviro imajo najpogosteje nepopolno, protislovno in netočno znanje o spolnosti in spolnem odnosu. Ne prejmejo dovolj informacij o lastnem telesu in spolnosti ter jih pogosto odvračajo od spolnega izražanja in jih kaznujejo, če se poskušajo spolno izražati. Pogoste so spolne zlorabe zaradi nizke spolne asertivnosti.
Cilj: Glavni cilj te študije je bil ugotoviti obstoj ali neobstoj spolne dejavnosti pri odraslih z intelektualno oviro, ki prebivajo v institucionalnih ustanovah, ter raven in strukturo njihovega znanja o spolnosti, njihovo spolno asertivnost in pripravljenost na odzivanje v nevarnem položaju, povezanem s spolnostjo.
Metode: Vzorec je bil sestavljen iz 100 udeležencev z intelektualno oviro, ki prebivajo v institucionalnih ustanovah. Uporabljeni so bili naslednji instrumenti: vprašalnik o splošnem znanju o spolnosti, test »kaj če« in Hurlbertov indeks spolne asertivnosti. Primerjalna statistika je vključevala koeficient linearne korelacije in multiplo regresijsko analizo.
Rezultati: Rezultati te študije so pokazali, da je 82 % udeležencev spolno aktivnih. Večina udeležencev je priznala, da imajo včasih spolne odnose proti svoji volji in da imajo težave z asertivnostjo. Njihova raven znanja o nosečnosti, kontracepciji in spolno prenosljivih boleznih je bila zelo nizka. Udeleženke in tisti udeleženci, ki so navedli, da imajo spolne odnose, so imeli višjo raven znanja in so bili tudi spolno asertivnejši.
Zaključek: Osebe z intelektualno oviro, ki prebivajo v institucionalnih ustanovah, imajo zelo nizko raven znanja o spolnosti in spolni asertivnosti. Treba je zagotoviti dodatne informacije o spolnosti ter podporo pri učenju, kako izraziti svoje želje in se spopasti z neželeno spolno dejavnostjo.
Keywords: intellectual disability; knowledge of sexuality; sexual assertiveness; sexuality.
© 2021 Nina Brkić-Jovanović, Vanja Runjo, Daniela Tamaš, Sanela Slavković, Vesela Milankov, published by Sciendo.