Sexual Well-Being and Physical Disability

Abstract

The meaning of sexual well-being for physically disabled people is a little researched area of social work practice. The traditionally hidden nature of sexuality and sexual well-being in disability research means that practitioners have little evidence based guidance to help offer inclusive person-centred care. Because sexual well-being is a sensitive topic, and one which professionals can feel uncomfortable discussing, the absence of guidance reinforces the barriers to its inclusion in practice. So, although sexual well-being is potentially one of the most meaningful aspects of human life, it has rarely been addressed in health and social care practice (Taylor, 2011). As a result disabled people can experience discrimination regarding their sexual well-being, with the notion of asexuality or deviance remaining prevalent in their personal accounts. Sexuality and sexual relationships are often the source of disabled people's deepest oppression and therefore should be the focus for disability action (Shakespeare, 2000). This paper will explore the importance of sexual well-being to personal identity, selfesteem and mental and physical well-being. This is particularly relevant to the context of social work with adults in England which is underpinned by the Care Act (2014) with its focus on promoting well-being. Issues for practitioners and future research will be identified.

Women’s experiences of sexuality after spinal cord injury: a UK perspective

“…Sexuality forms an integral part of individual identity [1], encompassing how individuals think, feel, identify and express themselves, and establish relationships [2]. Current literature on sexuality following spinal cord injury (SCI) and cauda equina syndrome (CES, included in SCI throughout this paper) focuses largely on males, with little exploration of women's needs [3], attributable to the larger proportion of males with traumatic SCI [4], the complexities of erectile dysfunction and male fertility [5] and potentially reflecting societal perceptions around sexuality in disabled individuals [6]. No qualitative studies with significant participant numbers have explored women's sexuality after SCI from a UK perspective.…”

Sexual Behaviors and Sexual Perceptions of Portuguese Adults with Physical Disabilities

“…These restrictions may also be reinforced by the internalization of the conservative and heteronormative norms embedded in Portuguese society. In turn, this leaves less room to develop specific and adapted responses to people with physical disabilities' particular needs, such as having access to sex workers [32] or the implementation of policies that would allow for less restrictive adoption guidelines, thus interfering with their overall sexual well-being [33].…”

Sexual Health Education and Life Satisfaction for People With Congenital Neurological Disabilities

“…The findings of this study also had some research implications such as a need for more comprehensively developed and analyzed measures of sexual health knowledge and sexual self-concept. Sexual self-esteem and satisfaction are little researched for people with disabilities and therefore lacking in an evidence base for interventions for practitioners (Lee & Fenge, 2016). Full-scale qualitative research would be useful in defining sexual self-concept, what predicts it, and exploring what variables would increase its impact on life satisfaction.…”

“…Prevention of abuse and exploitation is an important aim of education, but the promotion of positive self-concept variables such as sexual self-esteem and self-efficacy have been recommended by researchers as well (Lee & Fenge, 2016). Sexual self-esteem has been found to be positively impacted by sex education for women with developmental disabilities (McCarthy, 2014) and to be a mediator between sexual knowledge and sexual self-efficacy (Scales Rostosky et al, 2008).…”