Affectivity, sexuality, and autism spectrum disorder : qualitative analysis of the experiences of autistic young adults and their families
Torralbas Ortega, Jordi (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Roca, Judith (Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida)
Coelho-Martinho, Ruben (Nostra Senyora de Meritxell Hospital)
Orozko, Zaloa (Consorci Hospitalari de Vic)
Sanromà-Ortiz, Montserrat (Universitat de Lleida)
Valls-Ibáñez, Victoria (Institut Català de la Salut. Centre d'Atenció Primària La Serra (Sabadell, Catalunya))
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Fecha:	2023
Resumen:	Autistic people have communication, sensorial, and social difficulties, which on many occasions, make their adaptation on the sexual and affective levels difficult. For this reason, it is important to know the opinion of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families, to offer this perspective to professionals to facilitate adapted health education programs in mental health units. This qualitative descriptive design presents the experiences of autistic individuals and their families in relation to the affective-sexual experiences from individual, family, and social perspectives. Two focus group sessions were held with eight family members and seven individual semi-structured interviews with autistic young adults. The transcripts were qualitatively analysed using content analysis. Four themes (Family and social dynamic; Social behaviour of the autistic individual; Affective-sexual relationships; Addressing affective and sex education) and 13 related categories emerged from these results. Communication and social interaction problems act as barriers for young adults when developing affective-sexual relationships, leading to the emergence of negative feelings and experiences that reinforce avoidance behaviours, further intensifying their difficulties in interacting with others. Families, especially mothers, exhibit a poor perception of their ability to provide affective-sexual guidance, leading to anxiety and frustration. There are also reports of poor sex education and lack of support systems. The experiences of young people and their families are sometimes conflicting when it comes to affectivity and sexuality, but the parental role emerges as relevant in the sex education process. Families play a pivotal role in sex education, which is why professionals should provide them with support and information through health education programmes, foster empathetic communication and promote sexual and emotional development that is adapted to the characteristics and interests of autistic people.
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Materia:	Adolescence ; Affectivity ; Autism ; Autism Spectrum disorders ; Families ; Sexuality
Publicado en:	BMC Psychiatry, Vol. 23 Núm. 1 (december 2023) , p. 858, ISSN 1471-244X

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05380-w
PMID: 37978476

13 p, 1.5 MB

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Documentos de investigación > Documentos de los grupos de investigación de la UAB > Centros y grupos de investigación (producción científica) > Ciencias de la salud y biociencias > Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
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