Deafness and sex education

• Published in: Journal of sexual medicine Vol. 19; no. 11; p. S104
• Main Author: Mehrabi Kolibiki, Dr. Hamid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.11.2022
• ISSN: 1743-6095; 1743-6109
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2022.10.076

Hearing defect can add problems for deaf people such as having dangerous sex, unwanted pregnancy, sexual diseases or AIDS. Studying the difference between deaf and hearing teenagers in their sexual lives help us to understand their needs to sex education. This topic is essential when we ask: How deaf people receive sex education? And finally is this sexual information appropriate to their needs? We used methods of qualitative and quantitative study. The data were obtained from semi-structured interviews as well as questionnaires undertaken with the deaf and hearing adolescents aged 16 and 20 years who were selected in France and Iran. We found that, despite the existence of formal sex education in France and the lack of sex education in Iran, there was not any difference between young French and Iranian deaf girls on their sexual information. This probably explains that there is no difference in sexual risk behavior between the two groups of young deaf girls. We have seen that there is no significant difference on the reality of sexual activity among deaf teenagers who follow sex education courses and those who do not follow them. It seems very important that they need to specific sexual education needs Sex education among deaf people, especially among adolescent is not very clear and there is not much research in this area on deaf. In our intercultural research we found that sex education courses, even with sign language, it is not efficacy for young deaf girls. The results of our work show that sex education is not adapted to the situation of deaf girls; the majority of these courses have been made for hearing young people; and is not adapted to their disability. We therefore recommend that sex education be created specifically for young deaf girls. - Objectives Hearing defect can add problems for deaf people such as having dangerous sex, unwanted pregnancy, sexual diseases or AIDS. Studying the difference between deaf and hearing teenagers in their sexual lives help us to understand their needs to sex education. This topic is essential when we ask: How deaf people receive sex education? And finally is this sexual information appropriate to their needs? - Methods We used methods of qualitative and quantitative study. The data were obtained from semi-structured interviews as well as questionnaires undertaken with the deaf and hearing adolescents aged 16 and 20 years who were selected in France and Iran. -Results We found that, despite the existence of formal sex education in France and the lack of sex education in Iran, there was not any difference between young French and Iranian deaf girls on their sexual information. This probably explains that there is no difference in sexual risk behavior between the two groups of young deaf girls. We have seen that there is no significant difference on the reality of sexual activity among deaf teenagers who follow sex education courses and those who do not follow them. It seems very important that they need to specific sexual education needs -Conclusions Sex education among deaf people, especially among adolescent is not very clear and there is not much research in this area on deaf. In our intercultural research we found that sex education courses, even with sign language, it is not efficacy for young deaf girls. The results of our work show that sex education is not adapted to the situation of deaf girls; the majority of these courses have been made for hearing young people; and is not adapted to their disability. We therefore recommend that sex education be created specifically for young deaf girls.