Experiences of teachers, educators, and school counselors about the sexual and reproductive health of educable intellectually disabled adolescent girls: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Adolescents with intellectual disabilities are probably twice as many people without intellectual disabilities to be sexually abused by family members, caregivers, close relatives, and others in the community. Sex education and training are essential components of children's and teenagers' education and human rights, as well as a source of worry for parents and society. While the parents are thought to be the most accessible choice as sexual educators, they often do not fulfill this role. Therefore, professional teachers and trainers who have undergone sex education courses for mentally retarded adolescents are more reliable sources to provide the sexual information in terms of their educational role. This study aimed to determine the experiences of teachers, educators, and school counselor parents regarding the sexual and reproductive health of educable intellectually disabled adolescent girls. METHODS: This was a qualitative content analysis study. 35 participants were selected via purposive sampling with maximum variation, and data were collected through in-depth individual interviews, focus group discussions and field notes, and analyzed using the conventional qualitative content analysis method simultaneously. RESULTS: Three subcategories have emerged: “knowledge and professional experience of teachers, educators, and school counselors with how to educate and care for adolescent sexual health”, “proficiency of teachers, educators, and school counselors in guiding families in solving their child's sexual problems”, “attitude of teachers, educators, and school counselors towards sexual behaviors and sexual education of adolescents” which formed the main category of “teachers, educators, and school counselors’ inefficiency in maintaining ID adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health”. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers, educators, and school counselors encounter a variety of issues related to the sexual and reproductive health of intellectually impaired teenage females, as a consequence of the findings. As a result, efforts should be made to enhance knowledge and skill development, as well as the evolution of negative attitudes. Therefore, the teaching of sexual guidelines for teenagers with mental impairments should be included in the agenda of the country's educational policies. Teachers and educators should be taught by health experts via the holding of in-service training courses.