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Views of Mothers Having Children with Intellectual Disability Regarding Sexual Education: A Qualitative Study

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Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the views of mothers having children with intellectual disability on sexual education for their children. Focused group methodology and in-depth interviews (face-to-face) were utilized for qualitative investigation. Interviews were performed with nine mothers having children with disability, aged 7–18 years registered at the “Education Practice Centre and Job Training Centre” from 2012 to 2013. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire prepared by the researchers through screening. The questionnaire focused on the selection of sexual education. A voice-recording device was used during the interviews; face-to-face interviews were performed in a suitable physical environment without any voice recording. After they were given information about the study and voice recording the mothers’ verbal consents were obtained. In this study, it was found that all mothers having children with intellectual disability ignored the sexual education for their children with intellectual disability. All mothers, especially having a boy with intellectual disability, said that a sexual education was needed for their children, and they thought this education could be given by an institution like a rehabilitation centre. People generally thought that children with intellectual disability would not have a sexual life, family planning was thought to be unnecessary to be involved in sexual education, they were scared that their children would be sexually abused and therefore kept them away even from their healthy siblings. These findings are thought to be a guide for nurses, rehabilitation centres and schools working with children with intellectual disability to prioritize the sexual education of these children, raise awareness in families and children on this subject and enable them to sustain their healthy sexual developments and protect them from possible danger.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the mothers who participated in this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Services Vocational School, Atatürk University, 25240, Erzurum, Turkey

    Ayşe Gürol

  2. Department of Pediatric Nursing, School of Health, Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey

    Sevinç Polat

  3. Recep Birsin Özen Education Practice Center and Job Training Center, Erzurum, Turkey

    Tolga Oran

Authors
  1. Ayşe Gürol
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  2. Sevinç Polat
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  3. Tolga Oran
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Correspondence to Ayşe Gürol.

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Gürol, A., Polat, S. & Oran, T. Views of Mothers Having Children with Intellectual Disability Regarding Sexual Education: A Qualitative Study. Sex Disabil 32, 123–133 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-014-9338-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-014-9338-8

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