Sexuality and Mental Handicap: A Review

Craft, Ann; Craft, Michael

doi:10.1192/bjp.139.6.494

Cited by 36 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…This could lead to a self‐fulfilling prophecy where they internalise this belief and subsequently restrict their expressions of their sexuality. Importantly, this could perpetuate the historical beliefs whereby people with learning disabilities are regarded as asexual eternal children (Craft & Craft ). Such belief systems have denied people with learning disabilities the opportunities to express aspects of sexuality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) conceptualise sexuality as a multidimensional construct including sex, gender and intimacy that can be expressed via attitudes, behaviours, roles and relationships throughout the lifespan (WHO, ). During the 20th century, negative discourses, attitudes and practices (Craft & Craft, ; Mitchell, Doctor, & Butler, ) towards the sexuality of people with learning disabilities dominated societal belief systems and resulted in people with learning disabilities being denied the opportunity to express their sexuality. Recent research has indicated that support staff now hold more positive attitudes towards the sexuality of adults with learning disabilities (Bazzo, Nota, Soresi, Ferrari, & Minnes, ; Cuskelly & Bryde, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Support workers’ understanding of their role supporting the sexuality of people with learning disabilities

Maguire

Gleeson

Holmes

2019

Brit J Learn Disabil

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Accessible Summary We asked support workers what they thought about their role supporting sexuality. They said they want to try to support sexuality and relationships but also have to keep people safe. They said they have lots of things to consider which makes it difficult. We think support workers need more training and advice to help them talk about some of their worries and difficulties supporting sexuality. Abstract BackgroundDespite positive attitudes amongst support staff towards sexuality, adults with learning disabilities report being dissatisfied with the support they receive. This research aimed to explore support workers’ understanding of their role supporting the sexuality of adults with learning disabilities. MethodSix support workers from supported living services were interviewed about their role. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. ResultsThree themes emerged which were understood as suggesting that support workers held conflicting beliefs and emotions about their role supporting sexuality. This was interpreted as creating an ambivalence that could result in support workers distancing themselves from an active role in supporting sexuality. ConclusionThis study concluded that support workers may inadvertently express an understanding of their role that may be consistent with negative and limiting discourses about the sexuality of adults with learning disabilities. The findings suggest a continuing need for sexuality training with a focus on reflective practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Support workers’ understanding of their role supporting the sexuality of people with learning disabilities

Maguire

Gleeson

Holmes

2019

Brit J Learn Disabil

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“…Feldman et aL, 1986;Gillberg & Geijer-Karlsson, 1983;Kaminer et at., 1981). For those who are married, the quality of their marriage varies enormously; some are satisfying and harmonious; others are stressful, dysharmonious and unsatisfying (Graft & Graft, 1981;Floor ^i a/., 1975;KoUereia/., 1988;Mattinson, 1975). There is some evidenee that the average IQof affected males who marry is higher than that of married women subjeets.…”

Section: Family Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The eurrent consensus amongst researehers is that while rates of retardation jwill overall be higher amongst subjects' ehildren, their average IQwill show a regression to the mean. The risk will be markedly higher if both parents are affeeted (Abramson et aL, 1988;Graft & Graft, 1981;Melton & Scott, 1984;Tymehuk et at., 1987). Sometimes this wUl be due to the transmission of speeific inheritable medical conditions; in other eases non-speeifie genetie faetors may be important.…”

Section: Child Outcomementioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting Provided by Adults with Mental Retardation

Dowdney

Skuse²

1993

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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Studies assessing the quality of parenting provided by adults with mental retardation present conflicting conclusions. Some consider the majority to be doing reasonably well, whilst others report frequently unsatisfactory caretaking. There are a number of reasons for such different views. First, inconsistent selection criteria make it hard to compare across studies. In particular, sample composition will be influenced by the recruitment source. For example, if parents have been chosen from voluntary educational programmes a rather different picture is likely to be found than if they have been selected from individuals known to, or referred by, statutory agencies. On the whole, authors working with subjects from the former source have been rather more optimistic than those working with parents referred because there were already serious concerns about parenting difficulties or about delayed child development. Secondly, the majority of studies have used poorly defined global measures of parenting, with variable criteria of what constitutes adequate care. Some have concentrated on physical care and hygiene, whilst others have looked for the presence of affection and warmth. A child's reception into care as the sole measure of the quality of parenting is an unsatisfactory criterion because parental retardation has itself occasionally been used as the basis for removal of a child into care, even in the absence of other evidence of neglect or abuse. Thirdly, methodological flaws are found in studies that have used observational assessments of parenting. Such studies have suggested mothers with mental retardation tend to lack interactive skills (such as high levels of praise and imitation, and low restrictiveness) which are known to be associated with optimal child development. Control groups have often not been matched on social and other variables which might be expected to exert a significant influence upon parenting practices. In addition, the generalisability of these observational studies is open to question as parenting style has been adduced from brief play sessions, lasting at the most 10 minutes. The extent to which mothers with mental retardation play spontaneously with their children at home in a stimulating and age-appropriate fashion has not been measured. With regard to the evidence on abuse and neglect, questions have been raised about whether the children of parents with mental retardation are at increased risk. This problem has rarely been addressed in a methodologically satisfactory way. First, most studies have drawn their samples from referrals to medical or psychiatric departments. Secondly, as indicated earlier, reception into care cannot by itself be taken to be an indicator of child abuse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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“…The majority of children with mental retardation develop normal secondary sexual characteristics (Craft and Craft, 1981 ). Adolescents with mental retardation require sex education including advice regarding contraception, sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of exploitation.…”

Section: Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%