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Sexuality and sex education for children with developmental disabilities: Attitudes and concerns of parents in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana

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Abstract

Sexuality and sex education are basic human rights. However, individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) often lack the knowledge and skills regarding their sexuality due to negative attitudes of significant others around them. This study explored the attitudes and concerns of parents regarding sexuality and sex education of their children with DD. Eleven (11) parents living in Accra participated in in-depth interviews utilized for this qualitative investigation. The children of these participants were aged 10–18 years. Thematic analysis of the data revealed five main themes: (1) Hinderances to sex education; (2) Parental Concerns; (3) Child agency in sexuality; (4) Proper sex education needs; and (5) Hopes for future love relationships. Results indicated that in general, parents did not provide sex education for their children due to the perceived cognitive ability of their children to comprehend issues of sexuality. Secondly, access to resources that match their children’s cognitive ability are not available to parents. Nonetheless, parents were concerned about their children being sexually abused and hoped for a better family life for them in the future. Findings are further discussed in the context of implications to inform policy, guidance, and appropriate sexual education for parents, society, and schools working with children with DD.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all parents who participated in the interviews for this study. We further thank Special mothers and fathers project (Support group) for their assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG. 84, Legon, Accra, Ghana

    Mabel Oti-Boadi & Stephen Oppong

  2. Department of Psychology, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA

    Esther Malm

  3. Arizona State University, Arizona, AZ, USA

    Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey

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  1. Mabel Oti-Boadi
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  2. Esther Malm
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  4. Stephen Oppong
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Contributions

M.O. conceptualized the study. MO. E.M., N.E.Y.D., & S.O were involved in the design of the study. All authors analysed and interpreted the data and were involved in drafting the manuscript and revising it critically. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mabel Oti-Boadi.

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Appendix A

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Table 2 Demographic characteristics of participants
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Oti-Boadi, M., Malm, E., Dey, N.E.Y. et al. Sexuality and sex education for children with developmental disabilities: Attitudes and concerns of parents in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana. Curr Psychol 43, 8173–8185 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05006-0

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