An empirical study of the sexual abuse of people with intellectual disability

This study describes a comparison between the level of sexual knowledge and experience of sexual abuse among people with intellectual disability and people without intellectual disability. The Sexual Abuse section of the Sexual Knowledge, Experience, and Needs Scale (SexKen) was completed by 30 people with intellectual disability (18 females, 12 males) and 50 control subjects (32 females, 18 males). The results demonstrated a lower level of sexual knowledge among the people with a disability but no differences between the groups in the level of incest and other unwanted sexual activities. There was a high percentage of people with intellectual disability who believed that someone else decides about the level of their sexual experience. They also expressed less negativity about sexual abuse. These findings are discussed in the context of sex education programs for people with intellectual disability. © 1994 Human Sciences Press, Inc