Sexualidade e deficiência intelectual: Narrativas de pais de adolescents

Abstract

By common sense, adolescents with intellectual disabilities have a heightened sexuality or are asexual. To learn how they experience the sexual manifestations of their children, we interviewed 14 parents of adolescents with this deficiency. The analysis of the narratives obtained was based on authors of anthropology. In them, there were prejudices and ignorance on the subject, as well as playing the gender ideology of our society. In the narratives of parents of adolescent males, masturbation, sex and fear of sexual abuse were highlighted, while parents privileged themes such as bodily changes and also the fear that they were sexually abused. The mismatch between physical development and sexual behavior considered socially improper was also the target of narratives. The paper points up the need to expand the discussion with teens, their parents and various sectors of society to minimize biases regarding sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities, providing a guarantee of their sexual rights.