The taboo of sexuality and the desire for parenthood of people with intellectual disabilities living in care facilities in France

Abstract

How do the support staff and the families of the residents with intellectual disabilities of care facilities in France perceive the latter’s sexual life and desire for parenthood and how is this taken into account in their interactions? Life-history interviews conducted with seven family caregivers and four focus groups using Photolanguage® conducted with the support staff were analyzed using a thematic and a psychodynamic analysis. Both institutional rules and families’ concerns impact the sexual expression of the residents. Their sexual and intimate lives are primarily perceived as an ‘additional problem’. Fearing the reactions of the families, support staff tend to keep residents in the dark about reproductive and sexual health issues These findings reveal an urgent need to change the paradigm in these institutions: a vision of residents as fully-fledged adults who can make choices and who have the right to clear information in their sexual and intimate life.