"These attitudes are a pressure": women with disabilities' perceptions of how stigma shapes their sexual health choices.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Carew MT; Policy & Research, Leonard Cheshire Disability, London, UK.; UCL International Disability Research Centre, University College London, London, UK.; Dhingra S; Policy & Research, Leonard Cheshire Disability, London, UK.; Bash-Taqi R; Institute for Development, Freetown, Sierra Leone.; Koroma HK; Institute for Development, Freetown, Sierra Leone.; Fraser T; Institute for Development, Freetown, Sierra Leone.; McLaren M; Technical Services Department, MSI Reproductive Choices UK, London, UK.; Groce N; UCL International Disability Research Centre, University College London, London, UK.
- Source
- Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100883416 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1464-5351 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13691058 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cult Health Sex Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
Women with disabilities face numerous barriers to achieving sexual health on an equitable basis to others, including stigma about disability and sexuality. Yet, how specific stigmatising beliefs about disability and sexuality influence the choices women with disabilities make about their sexual health has not been studied widely. The present study sought to address this gap in the context of Sierra Leone. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women with disabilities ( N = 32) and women without disabilities ( N = 10). Societal stigma of disability linked with witchcraft was seen as a deterrent to accessing sexual and reproductive health services. Stigma about women with disabilities as burdens and about childless women with disabilities as pitiable were perceived as sources of pressure on disabled women's reproductive choices. Concurrently, women with disabilities rejected common stigmatising beliefs held about their lives. Results are discussed in terms of practical implications for healthcare providers and policymakers in Sierra Leone.