Sexuality: Experience of Women with Physical Disabilities

Abstract

It was aimed to describe the experiences at the practice of sexuality of women with physical disabilities. This study is part of a doctoral thesis entitled sexuality in women with acquired deficiency: nursing in health promotion and empowerment. It was conducted an exploratory descriptive study with qualitative approach, which was carried out from June to October, in the year of 2010. The survey participants were six women members of an association of people with physical disabilities. Data collection was based on focal group. Analysis and discussion by means of the classification of the speeches were performed according to the analysis of content and pertinent literature. In the results, the following categories and sub-categories were identified: concepts, covering self-image and sexuality; social actors, responsible for the promotion of sexuality, with highlight for men, family and health professionals; challenges experienced in the practice of sexuality, with highlight on prejudice and fear of sexual abuse due to the disability. We could state that the focus groups favored the discussion and the self-knowledge of the women with respect to sexuality.

Structural Accessibility of Gynecological Nursing Clinics for Users with Motor Disabilities in Basic Health Units

“…Health professionals are responsible for promoting an environment of trust and respect for patients to feel comfortable during consultation and thus experience this moment without fear to express difficulties and/or concerns [3]. The stretcher used for transferring patients with motor disabilities from their wheelchair to gynecological examinations was inaccessible in 93.6% of evaluated practices, augmenting this public's evasion to this kind of service, as the stretcher is an indispensable item for the user's comfort but was inaccessible.…”

“…Physically disabled women report that they face distressing situations during consultations in health services. However, health professionals, especially nurses and the team leaders, responsible for gynecological care in the basic health units, must establish bonds of trust with users to promote quality care favoring sexual health promotion [3].…”

A Phenomenological Analysis of Adoption of Coping Strategies Among Survivors of Acid Violence in Pakistan

“…In addition, the reason for hitting a woman's body, particularly the face, is the relationship of beauty as a proxy of power of a woman. The patriarchy strangulated women to think only about facial beauty and after the occurrence of such incident, which is often committed to disfigure one, women have nothing left to be a person anymore (Baptista, 2014). Similarly, a woman's appearance is often assumed to be her only asset or resource; this may explain why perpetrators tend to target and disfigure the faces of female victims, while male victims are more likely to suffer injury to other parts of their bodies (Chowdhury, 2005(Chowdhury, , 2007.…”

“…Existing academic literature has highlighted different causes (Azam, 2014; Baptista, 2014; Begum, 2004; Zia, 2013) of acid violence. Acid violence occurs in both private and public spaces and most often the perpetrators are not strangers to the victims (Kuriakose et al, 2017).…”

Evaluating Sexual Health in Women with Multiple Sclerosis: A Study on the Interplay of Disability and Quality of Life

“…Sexuality's role as a fundamental aspect of human existence underscores its complex interplay with various individual and societal factors [1]. When examining the impact of these factors on women with disabilities, it is evident that biological and psychological components are profoundly intertwined.…”