Sexual abuse and intellectual disability: How people with intellectual disabilities and their professionals identify and value the experience.

Article Sidebar

PDF (Español (España))
Published: Nov 19, 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2017.n1.v4.1035
Keywords:
intelectual disability sexual abuse gender risk perception

Main Article Content

Cristina Giménez-García
Dpto. Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología. Universitat Jaume I de Castellón.
María Dolores Gil-Llario
Dpto. Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación. Universitat de València. Estudi General. Valencia.
Estefanía Ruiz-Palomino
Dpto. Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología. Universitat Jaume I de Castellón., Castellón.
Irene Díaz Rodríguez
Dpto. Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación. Universitat de València. Estudi General., Valencia.

Abstract

Sexual abuse is a problem that affects, especially, people with intellectual disabilities. In order to cope with this, the role of professionals is essential for both the identification and the prevention and treatment of this problem. However, there are few studies focus on what extent the professionals’ evaluation agree the real experience of the people with intellectual disability. For this reason, the present study analyses risk perception and experience of sexual abuse suffered by people with intellectual disability, compared to the identification and evaluation of professionals who attend them. For this purpose, 154 adults with intellectual disabilities and 16 professionals completed the DAS, the ECS and the ECS-R respectively. The results show how sexual abuse is a reality for people with intellectual disabilities although they do not always manifest receiving, sometimes, rejection by their close people. Moreover, gender differences are shown, in which women suffer sexual abuse and its consequences more frequently. Professionals only realize about some part of this situation and they attribute greater vulnerability to women and those who have already suffered a prior episode of sexual abuse. In this sense, it would be essential to have programs for the detection and treatment of sexual abuse, considering that professionals are a positive reference for people with intellectual disabilities

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Giménez-García, C., Gil-Llario, M. D., Ruiz-Palomino, E., & Díaz Rodríguez, I. (2017). Sexual abuse and intellectual disability: How people with intellectual disabilities and their professionals identify and value the experience. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD De Psicología., 4(1), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2017.n1.v4.1035
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2017): Monograph No. 3. Psychology today: challenges, achievements and perspectives of the future. Attention to diversity
Section
Articles
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
 
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following terms:

 

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

 
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
 
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
 
The authors are responsible to obtain the appropriate permissions to reproduce material (text, images or graphics) from other publications and to quote their origin correctly.
 

References

Bailey, G. (1998). Action against abuse. Recognising and preventing abuse of people with learning disabilities. Chesterfield. UK: Association for residential care.

Díaz, I., Gil. M.D., Ballester, R., Morell, V., y Molero, R. (2014). Conocimientos, comportamiento y actitudes sexuales en adultos con discapacidad intelectual. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 1(3), 415-422.

Euser, S., Alink, L.R., Tharner, A., van IJzendoorn, M.H. y Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J. (2016). The Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in Out-of-home Care: Increased Risk for Children with a Mild Intellectual Disability, Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual and Developmental, 29(1),83-92.

Gil, M.D., Díaz, I., Ceccato, R., Ballester, R. y Giménez, C. (2014). Conocimientos, actitudes hacia la orientación sexual, comportamientos de riesgo y abusos sexuales en mujeres con discapacidad intelectual. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 1(2), 397-406.

Gil-Llario, M.D., Morell-Mengual, V., Díaz, I., Giménez-García, C. y Ruiz-Palomino, E. (2016). Calidad de vida de los discapacitados intelectuales valorada por ellos mismos y los profesionales: variables implicadas. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 1(1), 265-274.

Martinet, M. y Legry, C. (2014). Sexual abuse and intellectual disability: Awareness for a better intervention, Sexologies, 23 (4), 91-97.

Navarro, Y., Torrico, E. y López, M. J. (2010). Programa de intervención psicosexual en personas con discapacidad, Educación y Diversidad, 4 (2), 75-92.

Starke, M., Bertilsdotter, H. y Kuosmanen, J. (2016). Eternal Children? Professionals’ Constructions of Women with an Intellectual Disability Who are Victims of Sexual Crime. Sexuality and Disability, 34 (3), 315–328.

Verdugo, M.A., Alcedo, M.A., Bermejo, B. y Aguado, A. (2002). El abuso sexual en personas con discapacidad intelectual, Psicothema, 14(1), 124-129.

Wilczynski, S.M., Connolly, S., Dubard, M., Henderson, A. y Mcintosh, D. (2015). Assessment, prevention, and intervention for abuse among individuals with disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 52(1), 9–21.

Wissink, I.B., van Vugt, E., Moonen, X., Stams, G.J.M. y Hendriks, J. (2015). Sexual abuse involving children with an intellectual disability (ID): a narrative review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 36, 20–35.