Sexual health experiences among high school students with disabilities
What is the name of the article?
Sexual Health Experiences Among High School Students with Disabilities
What was the goal of this study?
The reason for this study was to learn about the sexual experiences of teens with and without disabilities.
What did we find?
Teens with disabilities were 25% more likely to have had sex than those with no disability.
Compared to teens without disabilities, the teens with disabilities that had sex were more likely to have had sex under the age of 15.
Teens with disabilities were more likely to have used drugs and alcohol, not used a condom, had 2 or more lifetime sex partners and 2 or more sex partners in the last 3 months.
After looking at sexual abuse most of these results were less strong or no longer true.
What did we learn?
Teens with disabilities are sexually active. Lowering the risk of sexual abuse is important. We also need to support healthy sexual choices with more education for this group.
Why is this important?
Teens with disabilities are often left out of sex education in schools. More information about the experience of teens with disabilities can lead to better programs to lower the risk of abuse and support sexual health.
Who are the authors of the study?
Willi Horner-Johnson, Ph.D., 1 Angela Senders, N.D., M.C.R.,1 César Higgins Tejera, M.P.H., M.S.,1 and Marjorie G. McGee, Ph.D.2
Authors are from: 1. Oregon Health & Science University; 2. Oregon Health Authority: Office of Equity and Inclusion
Who participated in this study?
| Gender | No disability | Disability |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 51.9% | 34.2% |
| Female | 46.5% | 61.8% |
| Nonbinary | 1.5% | 4.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | No disability | Disability |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Asian | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| Black | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| White | 65.8% | 62.7% |
| Multiracial or other | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| Hispanic | 23.3% | 26.3% |
| Sexual orientation | No disability | Disability |
|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual | 91.3% | 72.9% |
| Lesbian, gay, or bisexual | 7.1% | 23.4% |
| Questioning | 1.6% | 3.8% |
| Family Affluence Scale-II | No disability | Disability |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 9.6% | 13.9% |
| Middle | 36.9% | 40.7% |
| High | 53.5% | 45.4% |
For more details about study participants, please see the full text article.
Key Words:
Sexual abuse: Sexual contact with someone that does not give their consent or does not have the ability to understand the choice.
Article Citation
Horner-Johnson, W., Senders, A., Tejera, C. H., & McGee, M. G. (2021). Sexual health experiences among high school students with disabilities. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(2), 255-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.03.001