Hunt Xanthe, Swartz Leslie, Carew Mark Thomas, Braathen Stine Hellum, Chiwaula Mussa, Rohleder Poul
a Department of Psychology , Stellenbosch University , Stellenbosch , South Africa.
b Department of Psychology , University of East London , London , UK.
Cult Health Sex. 2018 Feb;20(2):141-155. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1334964. Epub 2017 Jun 21.
There is good reason to believe that the attitudes of persons without disability towards dating a person with a physical disability might be unfavourable. However, in general, and in the Global South in particular, there is a dearth of research in this area. This study sought to take the first step in addressing this lack of enquiry, by surveying the attitudes of a general population sample in South Africa towards dating people with physical disabilities, using a vignette. Data from 1723 survey respondents were analysed thematically. Findings reveal largely negative attitudes towards people with physical disabilities. Respondents without disability perceived numerous barriers to dating a person with a physical disability, including social stigma, anxiety and concerns about the burden of care they believed such a relationship would place upon them. However, there was some evidence to suggest that some positive attitudes do exist, and a few respondents were open to dating a person with physical disabilities. Findings contribute to a nuancing and expanding of the 'myth of asexuality' among physically disabled people by showing that people with physical disabilities are actively desexualised by persons without disability. Future research is needed to explore how the inclusive attitudes, of which we did find evidence here, can be further cultivated.
有充分理由相信，健全人对于与身体有残疾的人约会的态度可能并不积极。然而，总体而言，尤其是在全球南方地区，这一领域的研究匮乏。本研究试图通过使用一个小场景调查南非普通人群样本对与身体有残疾的人约会的态度，来迈出解决这一研究不足问题的第一步。对1723名调查受访者的数据进行了主题分析。研究结果显示，人们对身体有残疾的人总体持负面态度。健全的受访者认为与身体有残疾的人约会存在诸多障碍，包括社会污名、焦虑以及担心他们认为这种关系会给他们带来的照料负担。然而，有一些证据表明确实存在一些积极态度，少数受访者愿意与身体有残疾的人约会。研究结果通过表明身体有残疾的人被健全人主动去性化，有助于细化和扩展身体有残疾的人当中的“无性恋神话”。未来需要开展研究，以探索我们在此发现有证据的包容态度如何能够得到进一步培养。
