An Assessment of the Socio-Sexual Knowledge of Institutionalized Persons with Mental Retardation (Developmental Disability).

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Striar-Davis Sexuality Profile (SDP) in assessing the socio-sexual knowledge (SKS) of institutionalized persons with mental retardation. Three areas of research questions were addressed: (1) What was the level of socio-sexual knowledge? (2) What was the relationship between socio-sexual knowledge and the independent variables? (3) What was the relationship between three conceptual groupings of the twelve SDP subtests? A non-r and om sample of 117 institutionalized persons with mental retardation were examined to test the hypotheses. The statistical tests used in the analyses included the chi-square, the median test, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Goodman-Kruskal gamma and Cramer's V. The study found that there was a wide range of socio-sexual knowledge demonstrated by respondents at all levels of mental retardation. However, measures of central tendency indicated that SKS for the sample studied was significantly lower than what might be expected. Subjects at the moderate and mild levels of retardation were expected to obtain maximum scores, given the orientation of the test toward basic knowledge. However, they scored in a range of 23%-87% correct, with a mean of approximately 59% correct. The severely impaired subjects scored at the 50% level, with a range of 8%-74% correct; and the profoundly retarded had scores ranging from 1%-59% correct, with a low mean of 1% correct responses. Predictably, socio-sexual knowledge (SKS) was found to be significantly related statistically to IQ, mental age, adaptive behavior, and independence in performing personal hygiene tasks. SKS was not significantly associated statistically with sex and age, but when two highly disparate age groups were compared, significant differences were noted. However, these differences could have been more a result of variations in length of institutionalization, rather than age per se. A statistically significant relationship was indicated between the conceptual group profiles (PAP, SSP, SEP), the three groupings of the twelve SDP subtests. Respondents scored highest on personal skills (PAP), followed by social skills (SSP) items. The sexual expression profile (SEP) items were the most difficult for this sample, producing the lowest scores.Ph.D.Special educationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160942/1/8612501.pd