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Identifier

000450012

Title

Γονικές πεποιθήσεις για τη σεξουαλικότητα και τη σεξουαλική αγωγή παιδιών και εφήβων με νοητική υστέρηση

Alternative Title

Parental beliefs on sexuality and sex education in children and adolescents with intellectual disorder

Author

Κουναλάκη, Ειρήνη

Thesis advisor

Μαρκοδημητράκη Μαρία

Reviewer

Κουρκούτας Ηλίας
Κούτρα Αικατερίνη

Abstract

Human sexuality is a complex process, as it involves communication between two people, sexual intercourse, physical contact, emotions and the hormones that possess them (Laniado, 2006 ‧Halperin, 1989). However, many different factors are involved, such as religious, societal, cultural, psychological and biological. All of these different factors shape, influence and determine people’s sexual life (Castelo-Branco et al., 2008). People with intellectual disorder have inhomogeneous physical and sexual development. That happens because their mental development goes hand in hand with their physical and sexual development (Murphy & Young, 2005). The expression of sexuality and sex education are very important for the life of every human being (Castelo-Branco et al., 2008). The aim of this research was to investigate the parental beliefs on sexuality and sex education in children and adolescents with intellectual disorder. The context of the sexual education of their children was also examined. Fifteen (15) parents participated in this research, specifically, seven (7) parents who had children and eight (8) parents who had adolescents with mental disorder from Greece. The investigation of parental beliefs was based on a semi- structured interview, which was created for the needs of this study and was compiled according to the Greek and international literature. The semi- structured interview includes open- ended and closed- ended questions. The resulting data were analyzed qualitatively. The processing of the data showed that the parents recognize the existence of sexuality in children and adolescent with intellectual disorder. The daily care of their children forces them to deal with their sexual expressions. Also, the parental beliefs of this study about sterilization of people with intellectual disorder differ. In addition, the most of the participants stressed the vulnerability of children and adolescents with intellectual disorder to sexual abuse, because of mental dysfunction and minimal to not at all sex education provided in Greek schools. The usefulness and benefits of sex education to children and their parents in order to guide them according to their needs and mental dysfunction, was recognized from all the participants. In fact, most of them did not provide sex education to their children and were not willing to attend sex education programs for themselves or their children. This research is expected to shed light on aspects of sexual education of children and adolescents with intellectual disorder and to highlight the problems that parents face in raising their children regarding their sex education, in order to design early sexual intervention programs for schools and family context.

Language

Greek

Subject

Intellectual disorder

Mental retardation

Sex education

Sexuality

Νοητική αναπηρία

Νοητική υστέρηση

Σεξουαλική αγωγή

Σεξουαλικότητα

Issue date