La Grutta S, Lo Baido R, Calì A, Sarno I, Trombini E, Roccella M
Department of Psychology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Minerva Pediatr. 2009 Jun;61(3):305-21.
Sexuality in disabled people is faced with difficulty and inadequateness, if not with complete refusal, the result being that young disabled people are often relegated to a destiny of solitude and abandon. This is even more true when the disability includes mental retardation.
Twenty-five youngsters between the age of 13 and 25 years 14 males (56%) and 11 females (44%) were recruited together with their mothers for this study. All attend the Family Association for Down people in Palermo. The youngsters with Down's syndrome were invited to carry out a drawing activity and then to describe what they had drawn. The mothers, on the other hand, replied to a semi-structured interview, the contents of which were organised into three areas: 1) the reaction of parents when the doctors communicate the birth of a child with Down's syndrome; 2) parents and the sexuality of a child with Down's syndrome; 3) the expectations of parents with regard to the future of their child with Down's syndrome.
The free designs and their description demonstrated a clear emergence of themes that regard sexuality in 6 protocols out of 25. In 9 cases out of 25 the reference to sexuality is hidden behind allusive designs and descriptions. Six protocols testify, even if indirectly referable to the theme of sexuality, the emergence of an autonomy conflict, typical of adolescents, which demonstrates the beginning of the transitory process towards adulthood. Only in four situations was a sexuality reference not interpretable in the productions of the children. The qualitative analysis of the interviews carried out with the mothers evidences how the theme of the sexuality of the disabled child is lived in a conflictual way by the parents.
The results obtained lead to affirm that the ''question regarding sexuality'' is more problematic from the parents' point of view rather than from that child's. In this prospective, in order to advantage the parents, it is necessary to plan psychological and clinical interventions regarding an education to sexuality.
残疾人的性取向面临困难和不足，即便不是遭到完全拒绝，结果往往是残疾青年常常陷入孤独和被遗弃的命运。当残疾包括智力迟钝时，情况更是如此。
招募了25名年龄在13至25岁之间的青少年（14名男性，占56%；11名女性，占44%）及其母亲参与本研究。他们都参加了巴勒莫的唐氏综合征患者家庭协会。邀请患有唐氏综合征的青少年进行绘画活动，然后描述他们所画的内容。另一方面，母亲们回答了一份半结构化访谈，访谈内容分为三个方面：1）医生告知孩子患有唐氏综合征时父母的反应；2）父母与患有唐氏综合征孩子的性取向；3）父母对患有唐氏综合征孩子未来的期望。
在25份记录中，有6份的自由设计及其描述清晰地呈现出与性取向相关的主题。在25份记录中有9份，对性取向的提及隐藏在暗示性的设计和描述背后。25份记录中有6份证明，即使是间接涉及性取向主题，也出现了青少年典型的自主冲突，这表明向成年过渡过程的开始。只有在4种情况下，孩子们的作品中对性取向的提及无法解读。对母亲们进行访谈的定性分析表明，残疾儿童的性取向主题让父母们感到矛盾。
所获得的结果表明，从父母的角度而非孩子的角度来看，“性取向问题”更具问题性。从这个角度看，为了帮助父母，有必要规划关于性教育的心理和临床干预措施。
