The sexual attraction toward disabilities: a preliminary internet-based study

Abstract

Devotism, defined as sexual attraction toward disabilities, has not undergone extensive study. To verify whether devotees have characteristics suggestive of a paraphilic behavior, an ad hoc internet questionnaire was developed to study a population of 209 subjects enrolled from online devotee communities. With respect to the sexual preference, we observe a first population comprising subjects sexually attracted by disability per se and considers it as an erotic object. In the absence of disability, this group is also unable to become sexually aroused and experiences discomfort due to their condition. The second subpopulation comprises subjects attracted by specific characteristics of people with disabilities such as adaptability, fortitude, courage and ability to overcome obstacles. This group experiences low levels of discomfort for their sexual preference. Further studies will be necessary to confirm these data.

What is presented on pornographic material? Quantitative analysis of pornographic images

“…Lack of both limbs was less frequent ( Table 7). Limoncin et al [28] stated in their research that every third respondent considers ampu tation the most attractive, but prostheses are the close second, which in our results did not occur so often. The authors confirmed the hypothesis that the occur rence of sexual arousal in relation to people after limb amputations can be classified as paraphilia.…”

“…Limoncin i wsp. [28] w swoich badaniach stwierdzili, że co trzeci badany jako najbardziej atrakcyjne dla siebie uznaje amputacje, ale tuż za nimi pojawiają się protezy, które w naszych wynikach nie występowały tak często. Autorzy potwierdzili hipote zę, że występowanie pobudzenia seksualnego w stosunku do osób po amputacjach kończyn można sklasyfikować jako parafilię.…”

The Psychosexual Profile of Sexual Assistants: An Internet-Based Explorative Study

“…Sexual fantasies about or overt sexual attraction to disabled people was reported by 42.5% (17/40) of untrained and 12.5% (10/80) of trained sexual assistants (p<0.0001). Twenty per cent of untrained (8/40) and 7.5% (6/80) of trained assistants did not feel distress due to their sexual attraction to people affected by disabilities and satisfied our criteria for an atypical sexual interest [8] . On the contrary, 22.5% (9/40) of untrained and 5% (4/80) of trained assistants (p = 0.009) felt distress due to their sexual attraction to people affected by disabilities.…”

“…Sexual assistance has aspects that could resemble prostitution and others suggesting that sexual assistants may be similar to subjects with a specific sexual interest in disability (devotees) [8] . This study represents the first attempt to investigate these two relationships in a population of subjects who define themselves as sexual assistants.…”

“…A semi-structured questionnaire in English, German, and Italian was developed at the University of L’Aquila. Part of this semi-structured questionnaire was previously used to study a population of subjects who are attracted by disability and called devotees [8] . In the present study, additional aspects were investigated in order to verify the existence of specific elements characterising sex work and atypical sexual interest in a population composed of trained and untrained sexual assistants.…”