Intimacy, intercourse, and adjustments: Experiences of sexual life of a group of people with physical disabilities in South Africa

Article


Hunt, Xanthe, Braathen, Stine Hellum, Swartz, Leslie, Carew, Mark and Rohleder, P. 2017. Intimacy, intercourse, and adjustments: Experiences of sexual life of a group of people with physical disabilities in South Africa. Journal of Health Psychology. 23 (2), pp. 289 -305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317741761
AuthorsHunt, Xanthe, Braathen, Stine Hellum, Swartz, Leslie, Carew, Mark and Rohleder, P.
Abstract

There is a growing recognition of the sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities, and, since the World Report on Disability (WHO, 2011), increased international attention has been given to these issues. Past research, however, suggests that this group encounter barriers to sexual and reproductive rights, which are both physical and attitudinal. Against this backdrop, this paper employs a sequential mixed qualitative methodology to explore the practical and subjective experiences of 13 people with physical disabilities in South Africa, with regards to their sexual lives and experiences of sexuality. These experiences were marked by concerns about their ‘fitness’ as sexual beings, and indicated that social forces were key in shaping their expectations for their own sexual life.

JournalJournal of Health Psychology
Journal citation23 (2), pp. 289 -305
ISSN1359-1053
Year2017
PublisherSAGE Publications
Accepted author manuscript
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317741761
Web address (URL)https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317741761
Publication dates
Online28 Nov 2017
Publication process dates
Deposited27 Nov 2017
Accepted20 Oct 2017
Accepted20 Oct 2017
FunderInternational Foundation of Applied Disability Research
National Research Foundation
International Foundation of Applied Disability Research
National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa
Copyright informationHunt, X. et al. ‘Intimacy, intercourse, and adjustments: Experiences of sexual life of a group of people with physical disabilities in South Africa’, Journal of Health Psychology, 23 (2), pp. 289-305 . Copyright © 2018 Sage. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.
LicenseAll rights reserved
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