Predictors of family burden in parents of children with intellectual disabilities and their children’s sexual development characteristics

Abstract

Introduction and aim. Although the existing literature includes both quantitative and qualitative studies that examine the sexual characteristics of children with intellectual disabilities and the challenges they face, these studies have not addressed the impact of these characteristics on the burden of the family. Our objective was to examine the predictors of sexual development of family burden among parents of children with intellectual disability in this cross-sectional study. Material and methods. We collected data from 815 parents with children aged 10–18 years with intellectual disabilities between May 2021 and March 2022. Data collection tools were ‘Descriptive Characteristics Form”, “Family Burden Rating Scale for families with Mentally Handicapped Children” and ‘Sexual Development Characteristics scale of Adolescents with Intellectual Disability”. A logistic regression analysis was performed. Results. The predictive model for the burden of the family explained 60% of the variance in this sample of parents (p<0.001). The sexual predictors with the strongest effect on the model were previous sexual development education (β=0.74; SE=0.16, p≤0.001), followed by sexual harassment (β=-0.56, SE=0.26, p≤0.001). Conclusion. Education on sexual development in children with intellectual disability can facilitate management of challenges in adolescence.