Sexualidade de jovens-adultas/os com deficiência visual

Abstract

Studies on sexuality have been intensified in recent decades. Even though it is considered a taboo topic, there is an understanding that sexuality is involved in all stages of development. However, much still needs to be clarified about this theme, especially when it comes to the sexuality of people with disabilities. In the case of visually impaired people, who, due to the lack of a sense of sight, may not have access to much information present in the environment, which can cause delays in psychosocial aspects of development, as well as in relation to the formation of social and sexual identities. Therefore, the general objective of the present research was to investigate the process of sexuality development of young-adults with visual impairment. The specific objectives are: a) to understand the formation of social and sexual identity in the process of developing sexuality; b) to understand the role of sex education in the formation of social and sexual identity; c) to analyze the influence of the Social Educational Skills of parents and/or guardians in the development of sexuality. Ten young adults with visual impairment participated in the research (six females and four males). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was carried out through digital platforms. A semi-structured interview script was applied. It had 28 questions that addressed the following themes: sexuality and its concepts; identity and the construction of the “self”; sexual education – school and family practices. Ethical aspects were respected and the interviews lasted between 35 and 90 minutes. For data analysis, categories and subcategories were created, with the theme “sexuality” as the central axis. The results showed that the participants had a broad concept about sexuality, but more focused on issues related to the body, sex and relationships. When dealing with the development of social identity, it was possible to verify that the participants understood their disability at different times of development, depending on the environment and the resources offered to them. It was also possible to verify that the parents exerted a strong influence on the development of the participants' social identity, transmitting ethical and moral values that contributed to their formation. Regarding sexual identity, the participants reported that their parents did not exert any kind of influence. Regarding sex education, it was evident that those who studied in specialized schools received more detailed information that was contingent on their training needs (compared to their peers). Furthermore, more research would be needed that could offer subsidies for the teaching of topics related to the sexuality of people with visual impairment and that could contribute to their full development.