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A deviation too many? Healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes concerning patients with intellectual disability disrupting norms regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity
Author(s) -
Sommarö Susanna,
Andersson Agneta,
Skagerström Janna
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.12739
Subject(s) - habilitation , human sexuality , thematic analysis , sexual orientation , health care , psychology , intellectual disability , inclusion (mineral) , focus group , norm (philosophy) , developmental psychology , qualitative research , gender studies , social psychology , clinical psychology , sociology , psychiatry , political science , social science , philosophy , humanities , anthropology , law
Background People with intellectual disability (ID) have few role models for sexual expression and behaviour, and those who identify as LGBTQ experience dual marginalization. The aim of this study is to explore knowledge and attitudes concerning patients with both ID and norm‐breaking sexuality and/or gender identity among healthcare professionals in habilitation centres. Method Data were collected from four focus group interviews that included 19 healthcare professionals from child and adult teams at two Swedish habilitation centres. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Three themes were identified as follows: heteronormative treatment in health care, barriers for inclusion and possibilities for inclusion. Conclusions Norm‐breaking sexuality and gender identity are still relatively invisible in habilitation centres. People with ID are still predominately desexualized and perceptions regarding their sexuality are lagging behind the rest of society. Conditions that allow for more LGBTQ‐affirmative practice were described by the teams that have undergone LGBTQ training.