Conversando sobre sexualidade e educação sexual com familiares de crianças e adolescentes com deficiência

Abstract

Sexuality is a fundamental aspect for the integral health of individuals, influencing well-being, physical and mental health. However, providing debate for children and adolescents and their families, especially those with a disability or disorder, becomes an arduous task, since categorical thoughts such as: “innocent”, “angelic” and “they don’t think about sexuality” are present. associated with these subjects with disabilities when the subject is sexuality. In this way, sexual educational practices aimed at families of young people with disabilities can constitute a strategy for the promotion and sexual education of these individuals, including preventing sexual violence, as they are considered more vulnerable due to the lack of knowledge and guidance on the topic. Based on the Bioecological Model of Human Development, the general objective of the study is to identify the perception of family members about sexuality and sexual education of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities and autism and the specific objectives are: (1) to investigate, through a systematic literature review, studies focusing on sexual education for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities and autism; (2) collect information about sexual education for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities and autism, with family members as informants through an interview; (3) identify perceptions and needs regarding sexual education and prevention of sexual violence for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities and autism through focus groups. The study consisted of nine participants aged between 27 and 53 years (M= 39.78; SD= 7.85), all of whom were female (100%). Nine individual interviews and a focus group were carried out with family members of children (three to 11 years old) and adolescents (12 to 19 years old) treated by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry team at a university hospital. The instruments used were: Family/Child Identification Form; Critério Brasil and Interview with family members: “Talking about what is not talked about”. As a procedural instrument, the Immediate Impact of the Session was used at the end of the focus group. The systematic review adopted the PRISMA protocol for its implementation. Data collection was carried out with the participants and data from individual interviews were run in the IRAMUTEQ software, using the Descending Hierarchical Classification and Correspondence Factor Analysis method. The Focus Group was analyzed using thematic-categorical Content Analysis. The results demonstrate that there is a field to be explored in the relationship between sexuality and disability, finding few studies that deal with the topic through literature review, and highlight a need for guidance for families of young people with intellectual disabilities and autism, highlighting the importance of spaces for family discussion and the need for a positive approach to sexuality, with a focus beyond the prohibition and use of contraceptive methods. It is hoped that the present study can contribute to the reflection of family members regarding their sexual educational practices, increasing their repertoire in order to contribute to the sexual education of young people with intellectual disabilities and autism, in addition to inspiring new researchers to develop studies in the area of inclusion and sexuality, in different spheres of activity, promoting intervention groups for sexual education and prevention of sexual violence.