Prevalence and psychological sequelae of sexual abuse among individuals with an intellectual disability: A review of the recent literature

Abstract

The impact of sexual abuse among those with an intellectual disability is an area in need of further research. The current article provides an in-depth narrative review of the sexual abuse literature relevant to individuals with an intellectual disability. The 29 articles included in this study focused on (a) the prevalence of sexual abuse, (b) the risk factors associated with this population, and (c) the psychological impact of abuse. The findings confirmed that children and adults with an intellectual disability are at a higher risk of sexual abuse than nondisabled peers. Research regarding risk factors is equivocal, with a range of possible factors indicated. Similarly, evidence suggests that there is no single diagnostic trajectory when dealing with the sequelae of sexual abuse among those with an intellectual disability. The article concludes by discussing recommendations for future research and development of policy around this area.

Prevalence and sequelae of self‐reported and other‐reported sexual abuse in adults with intellectual disability

“…Although research on sexual victimisation in men with ID is not conducted as frequently as in the case of women (Mitra et al . ), evidence suggests that, like women with ID, men are also at a high risk of being submitted to sexual abuse (Byrne ). In addition, according to related studies, most of the perpetrators are male (McCarthy & Thompson ; Cambridge et al .…”

“…Therefore, it would not be true that there is a lower incidence of abuse in this profile of people but rather that less is known about the situation because it is impossible to determine the real figures (Pan ). In addition, according to Byrne (), the sampling procedure may also be a variable that biases the results. Studies are usually conducted with non‐representative samples recruited in organisations that care for users with ID.…”

“…The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of sexual abuse in persons with mild or moderate ID and to analyse the psychological, behavioural and social sequelae resulting from such experiences. It is important to carry out this kind of research for two reasons: on the one hand, there are important differences in the prevalence figures due to the criteria used to determine the presence of sexual abuse, the data sources that are used and also cultural differences (Gil-Llario et al 2018); on the other hand, to date, little research has been carried out to analyse the consequences of sexual abuse in the different areas of these people's lives (Byrne 2018).…”

“…Among the different types of abuse that exist, sexual abuse is the most relevant due to its prevalence, its invisibility and its short‐term and long‐term consequences (Barth et al . ; Byrne ). According to Reiter et al .…”

“…Abusive behaviour includes those activities that a person engages in without wanting to participate, without giving their permission or without understanding them. Among the different types of abuse that exist, sexual abuse is the most relevant due to its prevalence, its invisibility and its short-term and long-term consequences (Barth et al 2013;Byrne 2018). According to Reiter et al (2007), sexual abuse can be defined as any unwanted sexual relationship carried out to please someone else.…”