Premium
“They just said inappropriate contact.” What do service users hear when staff talk about sex and relationships?
Author(s) -
Grace Nici,
Greenhill Beth,
Withers Paul
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12373
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , service (business) , human sexuality , intellectual disability , psychology , institution , power (physics) , public relations , social psychology , sociology , nursing , medicine , gender studies , business , political science , marketing , paleontology , social science , physics , quantum mechanics , psychiatry , biology
Background Research into how people with intellectual disabilities ( ID ) pursue intimate relationships in care settings presents some contradictory findings; despite increasingly liberal staff views, service users experience significant restrictions. This study attempts to explore this gap within a secure hospital, examining service user's representations of staff discourses about sexuality and intimate relationships. Method Semi‐structured interviews with eight service users with intellectual disability were analysed using critical discourse analysis. Results Analysis enabled construction of 11 themes falling into three categories. Dominant discourses appeared to maintain the integrity of the institution, enable staff to occupy a position of power and demonstrate service users’ responses to perceived control. Conclusions Discourses around sex appear to serve the interests of staff and the hospital, while being restrictive and often incomprehensible to service users. Implications for service development, and future research directions, are considered in the context of “Transforming Care.”