Sexual self-esteem and sexual needs of young adults with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Sexuality is an important part of human existence, irrespective of race, religion or level of physical fitness. It can, however, be treated and exhibited by individuals in very different ways. The place of sexuality in a person's life, and in the way it is materialised, is determined by a number of biopsychosocial factors. For some, the presence of these factors and their influence is not a matter of choice. They may arise as a consequence of the psychophysical condition of their organism. People with motor disabilities undoubtedly belong to this group. participants and procedureThe study was carried out in Poland on a group of 61 people with roughly equal proportions of men and women. Subject selection was non-random; every subject was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) and was aged between 15 and 25. All of the subjects had normal levels of intelligence. Two methods were used in the study: Sexual Self-esteem Scale and Sexual Needs Scale. resultsThe results in terms of sexual self-esteem and sexual needs allowed two different subgroups of subjects to be distinguished (H -with high scores; L -with low scores). The analysis of significance levels of the differences in terms of sexual self-esteem and sexual needs between subgroups H and L confirmed the clear distinction between each of the subgroups' clinical pictures (p < .001) in 20 out of 21 of the analysed aspects. Falling in love was the only matter that did not differentiate the subgroups. conclusionsThere is a clear polarization of the results. Only 1/3 of the respondents had high sexual self-esteem and sexual needs. The remaining 2/3 reported having a rather low sexual self-esteem and low levels of needs with regards to their own sexuality. It needs to be stressed that CP-affected youth, similarly to their peers, may need support in discovering their sexuality and satisfying their sexual needs (2/3 of the respondents). The specifics of the range of support should take into account the aspects highlighted by the literature as associated with the causes of disability and contexts of psychosocial functioning of individuals with CP. key words cerebral palsy; disability; sexual behavior

Differences in Sexual Behavior of Teenagers and Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy: The Role of Sexual Needs and Sexual Esteem

“…Earlier analyses and their findings published in our report [12] enabled us to dichotomize respondents into two extreme, statistically significantly different subgroups based on the co-presence of high levels and low levels of sexual esteem and sexual needs, respectively. The survey based on the sexual needs questionnaire led to the creation of respondents’ profiles encompassing different aspects of human sexual needs—the existence of such needs, a desire for sexual interaction, preferred frequency of sexual interactions.…”

“…Human sexuality is a complex issue that as well as being an important aspect of our functioning is also a scientific discipline encompassing the psychology of emotional and motivational processes, and part of the model approximating the regulation of human functioning. The self-image of one’s sex life (sexual esteem) and sexual needs that all people develop guide their actions in this intimate sphere of life [7, 12, 61, 62, 66, 72]. However, sexual esteem and sexual needs are not the only factors that influence sexual activity manifested through specific sexual behaviors [21, 26, 49]: their range includes also body performance and especially the level of physical fitness.…”

“…However, sexual esteem and sexual needs are not the only factors that influence sexual activity manifested through specific sexual behaviors [21, 26, 49]: their range includes also body performance and especially the level of physical fitness. This means that motor disabilities can reduce or interfere with the possibility of having a satisfactory sex life that all people seek regardless of their race, beliefs or the level of fitness [5, 12, 13, 31, 32, 43]. …”

Beyond Asexualization: Narratives of Sexual Objectification of Persons with Albinism in Nigeria

“…The stigma and misconceptions about the concepts of disability and sexuality of persons with albinism impact more, and negatively on young people with disabilities in Africa. Studies have reported that adolescents with disabilities feel socially isolated (Cheng and Udry 2002) and have low self-esteem and sexual self-esteem, especially girls with disabilities (Czapla and Otrębski 2014;Esmail, Darry, Walter and Knupp 2010;Hilberink et al 2013;Rueda, Linton and Williams 2014;Maart and Jelsma 2010;McKenzie and Swartz 2011;Yousafzai, Edwards, D'Allesandro and Lindström 2005). Young persons with disabilities, particularly girls, are more likely to be bullied (Eisenberg, Gower, McMorris and Bucchianeri 2015).…”

Anxiety level and self-esteem in youth with cerebral palsy

“…However, differences were observed in the case of certain dimensions of the self-concept: sport, school and social competencies. Respondents from the clinical group assessed their potential in romantic relationships as lower, too (see Czapla & Otrębski, 2014).…”