Sexuality and Disability Flashcards
What is the definition of sexually elite?
Individuals where there activity does not violate reproductive bias and could lead to socially sanctioned conception and pregnancy (ex. a heterosexual married couple)
What is the definition of sexually oppressed?
individuals who are perceived as not conforming to reproductive bias and tend to be systematically asexualized. (elderly or disabled)
What is the definition of sexually unusual?
the people in society who are viewed as deviant, weird, sick or a criminal. ex. pedophiles, exhibitionists, and transvestites
How does the WHO define impairment?
- it is an organic condition (something wrong with the system) examples inc. depression, spinal cord injury, downs syndrome
How does the WHO define disability?
- functional limitations of the impairment you have. (ex. BECAUSE of spinal cord injury = unable to have an erection) or BECAUSE of my impairment i am unable to walk)
How does the WHO define handicap?
- environmental and attitudinal barriers, (for example, the building has stairs but since i am in a wheel chair i am unable to go in the building) (attitude barriers for example would be because your parents attitude prevents you from doing something)
What is adjustment?
- resuming or initiating sexual activity
Factors that affect adjustment: Congenital vs. acquired
congenital - born with it, adjustment is not as hard as if it was acquired since you have always lived with it, no comparisons
acquired - harder time adjusting, because of the change, there is a lot of comparisons
Factors that affect adjustment: Mild/localized vs. severe/systemic (perception)
They don’t make the distinction between mild/severe that they need help or they dont need help, it depends on their attitude towards adjustment
Factors that affect adjustment: Stable vs. Progressive (rapidity)
- example of stable is a spinal cord injury, they stay that the level of dysfunction
while progressive would be MS. It progresses to being worse, If it is progressive, it affects adjustment a lot more than the condition being stable. With progressive, they must continue to make changes to their disability.
Factors that affect adjustment: Visible vs. Invisible
Visible - people clearly know you have a disability ex. a wheelchair
invisible - they do not see the disability outright
Being a visible disabled person you are treated differently, and the general public is scared to get into a relationship with you. people with an invisible disability put barriers up themselves.
Factors that affect adjustment: Degree and constancy of pain (medications)
pain can affect sexual function, due to for example muscle imbalances, pressure sores etc.
Factors that affect adjustment: Degree control and/or effective management of bladder and bowel function
- having sex may trigger the reflexes
Factors that affect adjustment: currently in vs. looking for a relationship
people with a disability who were in a relationship are more likely to resume and continue their sexual lives compared to people who werent in a relationship before and must eventually establish a relationship now.
Factors that affect adjustment: attitudes/ acceptance of significant others (whether it is a partner, family or friends)
- if people saw you as a disable person being sexually active, this may affect your adjustment
What are some general factors that may be affected by a disease or an injury?
- body image
- self esteem
- public attitudes
What are some reproduction and response factors that may be affected by a disease or injury?
- fertility
- pregnancy and delivery
- arousal
- potency
- ejaculation and orgasm
How does the attraction template change after an individual becomes disabled?
- chances of divorce are almost doubled compared to the general population
- sometimes the person can feel guilty for being disabled “my partner did not sign up for this” etc.
What are some behavior factors that may be affected by a disability?
- self pleasure and masturbation
- choices of sexual activities
- positioning for sexual intercourse and other sexual behaviors
What is cerebral palsy?
- damage to the brain and/or central nervous system before or during birth that results in a some degree of spastic paralysis and speech difficulties (normally intelligence does not become affected)
- functioning becomes really impacted in terms of movement, they look like they are very disabled but intellectually they are normal
Sensory Deficits
Blindness - dating and mating becomes harder, issues with safety exists
Deafness - problems with dating and mating
- many live independent and satisfactory lives, however there is a lot of variability when it comes to the degree of which they can adapt. it depends on the age of onset, family support, self esteem.
- due to their disability they may have decreased socialization and educational opportunities
Spinal cord injury
- bruising and tearing, cutting the the spinal cord –> partial or total loss of voluntary movement and sensation below injury
Quadriplegia - neck injuries, arm trunk and legs are affected
Paraplegia - upper/lower back injuries, trunk and legs are affected
quads - wheelchair (semi independent)
paras - wheelchair, crutches, cane (independent)
Women with this injury can still have children normally, but they dont hold back when giving birth since they dont hav sensation
- with this injury psychogenic orgasms are gone, depending on level of injury reflux erections could still happen
- women can use lubrication to minmic arousal
- women have great capacity for pleasure, due to having cognitive orgasms (sex becomes better after the injury)
Arthritis
small and large joints of the body are painful, swelling, stiffness and immobility happens
- this affects more women and can occur at different ages
- the pain varies, and it limits movement
Amputees
- loss of limbs
- usually non progressive but can change later on
- more males
- a big issue here is self esteem and body image
Psychological disabilities:Intellectually impaired
inadequate development of brain
Psychological disabilities: Brain injury
- can happen at any age, and there are varying degrees of mental and physical limitations
Psychological disabilities: Mental illness
examples would be depression, anxiety etc.
What are some general issues with individuals that have a Psychological disability?
- self esteem, independence, decision making, appropriate behaviours, relationships.
- individuals with a brain injury and mental illness the high population that have STIs, unplanned pregnancy happen due to risky behaviors and not being knowledgeable
What is the difference between physical vs. Psychological injury?
- personality changes a lot, even with a physical injury, the person is that person before the injury happened.
What is the definition of psychoneurosis?
disturbances in thought, feelings, attitudes, and behavior, usually they are in touch with reality
ex. anxiety, depression, obsessional, and phobias
What is the definition of psychosis?
- a disorder that includes the disintegration of personality, and loss of contact with reality, usually will need hospitalization ex. schizophrenia
What are some issues with individuals that are impaired intellectually?
- they mature sexually in a normal way, meaning they have a normal sex drive
- they receive little training regarding their bodies and sexuality
- biggest issue here is consent, if they are not intellectually matured, are they able to give consent?
- a solution to this problem would be to teach them about sex based on their actual age, and then teach them about sexual expression at their functioning age
What are some guidelines when working with individuals with a mental disability?
- masturbation is normal sexual expression no matter how frequently and at what age it occurs at
- all sexual activity involving the genitals should happen in privacy
- any time a sexually mature girl and boy have intercourse they risk pregnancy
- unless a couple clearly wants a baby they need to understand and practice effective birth control
- society decrees that no one should have intercourse until about age eighteen
- adults must never use children sexually
- with appropriate safeguards, sexual expression can be encouraged
- private sexual activity is acceptable between consenting adults
- nobody is allowed to touch you in anyway without your permission
