Sexual Well-Being and Quality of Life Among High-Functioning Adults with Autism

Pearlman-Avnion, Shiri; Eldan, Anat

doi:10.1007/s11195-017-9490-z

Cited by 28 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Only 10 papers, from our included 162, offered a definition of sexual wellbeing (Contreras, Lillo, & Vera-Villarroel, 2016;Crump & Byers, 2017;Foster & Byers, 2013Frost, McClelland, & Maitland, & Milhausen, 2010;Pearlman-Avnion, Cohen, & Eldan, 2017;Stephenson & Meston, 2015), although some of these were not explicitly stated, in that the authors did not necessarily use specific language such as "our definition" or "we operationalised sexual wellbeing as..". Five of these definitions referred to the individual cognitive-affect domain only (sexual satisfaction, sexual anxiety, sexual self-esteem) (Crump & Byers, 2017;Foster & Byers, 2013Kaestle & Evans, 2017;Muise et al, 2010).…”

Section: How Has Sexual Wellbeing Been Defined?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, one definition was given as "subjective sexual well-being was defined as the cognitive and affective evaluation of oneself as a sexual being" (Muise et al, 2010, p. 917). In contrast, three referred to multiple domains (Frost et al, 2017;Mastro & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2015;Pearlman-Avnion et al, 2017), such as "The term 'sexual well-being' refers to an individual's subjective assessment of a wide range of physical, cognitive, emotional and social aspects of relations with oneself and with others" (Pearlman-Avnion et al, 2017, p. 280). One was unclear, but seemed to suggest sexual wellbeing was more than function and satisfaction: "The term subjective well-being provides a wider and more global assessment of the sexual experience, seeing beyond sexual function and differing from the concept of sexual satisfaction" (Contreras et al, 2016, p. 339).…”

Section: How Has Sexual Wellbeing Been Defined?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Rapid Review of Sexual Wellbeing Definitions and Measures: Should We Now Include Sexual Wellbeing Freedom?

Lorimer

DeAmicis

Dalrymple

et al. 2019

The Journal of Sex Research

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An increasing number of studies refer to sexual wellbeing and/or seek to measure it, and the term appears across various policy documents, including sexual health frameworks in the UK.We conducted a rapid review to determine how sexual wellbeing has been defined, qualitatively explored and quantitatively measured. Eligible studies selected for inclusion from OVID Medline, PsychInfo, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL were: in English language, published after 2007, were peer-reviewed full articles, focused on sexual wellbeing (or proxies for, e.g. satisfaction, function), and quantitatively or qualitatively assessed sexual wellbeing. We included studies with participants aged 16-65. Given study heterogeneity, our synthesis and findings are reported using a narrative approach. We identified 162 papers, of which 10 offered a definition of sexual wellbeing. Drawing upon a socio-ecological model, we categorised the 59 dimensions we identified from studies under three main domains: cognitive-affect (31 dimensions); inter-personal (22 dimensions); and socio-cultural (6 dimensions). Only 11 papers were categorised under the socio-cultural domain, commonly focusing on gender inequalities or stigma. We discuss the importance of conceptualising sexual wellbeing as individually experienced but socially and structurally influenced, including assessing sexual wellbeing freedom: a person's freedom to achieve sexual wellbeing, or their real opportunities and liberties.

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Section: How Has Sexual Wellbeing Been Defined?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: How Has Sexual Wellbeing Been Defined?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Rapid Review of Sexual Wellbeing Definitions and Measures: Should We Now Include Sexual Wellbeing Freedom?

Lorimer

DeAmicis

Dalrymple

et al. 2019

The Journal of Sex Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Four studies used self-report QoL measures (Lin, 2014;Lin & Huang, 2017;. The remaining 3 articles used self-and proxy reports (Kamio et al, 2013;Knüppel et al, 2018;Pearlman-Avnion et al, 2017). In Lin's (2014) study, autistic adults demonstrated lower QoL than a nonautistic control group and a Taiwanese health population reference group.…”

Section: Nonintervention Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality-of-Life Discrepancies Among Autistic Adolescents and Adults: A Rapid Review

Skaletski

Bradley

Taylor

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy

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Importance: Quality of life (QoL) is a core outcome of occupational therapy, but it is decreased among autistic adolescents and adults. This is the first review of QoL from an occupational therapy standpoint. Objective: To identify self-reported QoL differences between autistic and nonautistic samples; investigate sex differences in QoL among autistic people; examine consistency in QoL among autistic people across age, intellectual disability (ID), and self- versus proxy-report method; and appraise occupational therapy–related interventions addressing QoL among autistic people. Data Sources: Articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2020, located through Academic Search Ultimate, PubMed, and OTseeker, along with the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, British Journal of Occupational Therapy, Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, and Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. Study Selection and Data Collection: Article samples consisted of at least 20% autistic females and used self-reported QoL measures. Qualitative research was excluded, as well as studies with participants younger than age 13 yr. Twenty-seven articles qualified (3 Level 1B, 13 Level 3B, and 11 Level 4). Findings: Autistic adolescents and adults demonstrated decreased self-reported QoL compared with nonautistic peers across age and ID presence. One article compared sex differences in QoL among autistic people. Interventions improved QoL among autistic people. Conclusions and Relevance: Autistic adolescents and adults demonstrate decreased QoL in comparison with nonautistic peers. Questions remain related to sex differences in QoL among autistic people, an area for future research. Multiple evidence-based approaches to improve QoL in the autistic population are relevant to occupational therapy practice. What This Article Adds: Self-reported QoL among autistic adolescents and adults is clearly lower than among their nonautistic counterparts. This article provides information on multiple interventions related to occupational therapy to improve QoL among autistic people.

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“…Lack of childhood social interactions increases the risk of loneliness, depression, anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and decreased life satisfaction (Mazurek, 2014). When individuals with autism form intimate relationships, it leads to an increase in overall quality of life and satisfaction (Pearlman-Avnion et al, 2017).…”

Section: Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy Intimate Relationships and the Adult With Autism

Girardi

Curran

Snyder

2020

J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc

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Objective: An adult faces many challenges; however, one experience that is often taken for granted by neurotypical individuals is building intimate relationships. The purpose of this article is to discuss the barriers for healthy intimate relationships for an individual with autism, strategies to overcome these barriers, recommendations for future practice and research, and resources to improve knowledge of this important yet overlooked topic. Method: Data collection was done using research journals and databases such as EBSCO, SAGE Knowledge, MEDLINE, and CINAHL. The reviewed articles were published from 2015 to the present time. During the search process, the following key phrases were used: autism spectrum disorder, intimate relationships, sexuality education, and social skills. In total, 1,400 articles were found with an additional 52 sources found through other sources, of which 31 met inclusion criteria and were subsequently reviewed. Results: Although those with autism have many strengths and talents, deficits in communication and social interaction can affect the formation of healthy adult relationships, including friendships and romantic relationships. In addition to social challenges, a lack of education regarding safe and healthy relationships can put an individual with autism at risk. Conclusions: It is imperative that that individuals with autism, their families, and health care professionals are educated about the barriers and able to access educational resources and specialized curricula on this topic.

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Sexual Well-Being and Quality of Life Among High-Functioning Adults with Autism

Cited by 28 publications

References 40 publications

A Rapid Review of Sexual Wellbeing Definitions and Measures: Should We Now Include Sexual Wellbeing Freedom?

A Rapid Review of Sexual Wellbeing Definitions and Measures: Should We Now Include Sexual Wellbeing Freedom?

Quality-of-Life Discrepancies Among Autistic Adolescents and Adults: A Rapid Review

Healthy Intimate Relationships and the Adult With Autism

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