Abstract
Background Sex education programs have been developed with paid care staff as sex educators. However, no information is available about whether these programs are being delivered.Method The aim of this study was to investigate whether paid care staff working in an organisation specialised in the care of people with mild to moderate intellectual disability teach sex education or not. An online questionnaire was therefore constructed to assess the important factors associated with teaching sex education.Results Of the 163 staff members who completed the questionnaire, 39% provided sex education. Results show that it was mainly provided reactively. The main factor was the perceived social norm towards teaching sex education.Conclusions If we want paid care staff to teach sex education reactively, then we need to focus on changing the perceived social norm. However, if we want them to teach sex education proactively, a new needs assessment should be conducted in order to identify the important factors to motivate and enable them to provide sex education.
Highlights
Intellectual disability is characterised by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills (Luckasson & Schalock, 2013; Schalock et al, 2010, 2012; Schalock & Luckasson, 2013)
We investigated the differences between paid care staff members who teach sex education to people with intellectual disability and paid care staff members who do not teach sex education
Scores on intention to teach sex education were higher for staff members that teach sex education (M = 3.63, SD = 1.27) than for the staff members who do not teach sex education (M = 1.41, SD = 0.73), t(90) = 12.71, p < .01, d = 2.28
Summary
Intellectual disability is characterised by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills (Luckasson & Schalock, 2013; Schalock et al, 2010, 2012; Schalock & Luckasson, 2013). People with intellectual disability have been found to have insufficient or incorrect knowledge about subjects like masturbation, pregnancy, safe sex, reproduction, and same-sex relationships (Healy et al, 2009; Kelly et al, 2009; Leutar & Mihokovic, 2007; McCarthy, 2009; Murphy & O’Callaghan, 2004) They experience a lack of privacy (e.g., people are more likely to enter their room without knocking), receive restrictive rules concerning intimate relationships, or experience people expressing disapproval towards them having an intimate relationship (Healy et al, 2009; Kelly et al, 2009). The main factor was the perceived social norm towards teaching sex education
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