Attitudes Towards Sexuality and Sexual Orientation in People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Over time, sexuality has become a crucial aspect in people's lives, regardless of physical, intellectual or social conditions, ranging from sex and sexually transmitted diseases to gender identity and sexual orientation. The aim of this study was to carry out a review of the scientific literature on sexual orientation in people with intellectual disabilities from the Education and Health Sciences and to analyse how sex education is addressed in this group. To this end, a systematic review of research on sexual orientation in people with intellectual disabilities was carried out. The results obtained reveal that there is hardly any scientific corpus on this subject, so emphasis should be placed on the attitudes towards LGTBIQA+ people with intellectual disabilities, as well as on the training and understanding of the different sexual orientations they may have. It is essential to face the obstacles, stigmas and prejudices established in society to normalise the sexual needs of these people, improving, consequently, their quality of life.