Parents’ Perspective of Sexuality among Down Syndrome Children

Abstract

Introduction: Sexuality matters are always neglected, and are viewed as a taboo subject that is not discussed openly in Malaysia. Hence, sexuality issues among people with disabilities remain shrouded in prejudice and myths. Individual with Down syndrome have the same sexual experiences and needs as other typically developed children. The deficiency on cognitive ability among Down syndrome children is a major challenge for them to understand the concept of sexuality. The purpose of this preliminary qualitative study was to explore the perspectives on the topic of sexuality among Down syndrome children. Methods: The purposive sampling method was used to recruit respondents, based on the following criteria: i) Parents (father or mother) who have Down syndrome children aged from 8-17 years, and ii) able to communicate in the Malay or English language. A total of five respondents were included in this study. The respondents were the parents of Down syndrome children who were receiving occupational therapy interventions at three community-based rehabilitation centres in Kuala Selangor. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which were recorded using an audio recorder. The data were then transcribed and analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: The study revealed the perspective of parents on sexuality issues among Down syndrome children in relation to readiness, puberty, sexual desires, cultural norms and vulnerable groups. Conclusion: Findings of this study could use as a baseline in developing a module to assist parents in managing their concerns.