Literature Review on Provision of Appropriate and Accessible ...

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such as anxiety, restlessness, fearfulness, apathy and withdrawal
(McCarron & Kathryn Pekala Service, 2002).
Wingfield et <strong>Literature</strong> al. (1994) <strong>Review</strong> contend that Provision many of women Appropriate with and intellectual Accessible
Support to People with an Intellectual Disability who are
disability are passive, obedient and affectionate, and thus at risk of
Experiencing Crisis Pregnancy
sexual abuse; others may have multiple partners and are consequently
at risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases
(1994: 537). In this regard, Elkin et al. (1986) suggest that contraception
alone does not address these issues, [83] and that sexuality counselling
programmes for intellectually disabled women and their caregivers by
specially trained personnel enable women to be educated about their
sexual identity, acceptable social behaviour and avoidance of situations
that could lead to sexual abuse or pregnancy.
Wheatley (2005) considers that young people with learning disabilities
are sometimes vulnerable to peer pressure in a way their peers are not.
She contends that many young people with mild to moderate learning
difficulties are at risk of becoming involved in sexual activity when they
are not ready. This can happen when young people start to experiment
with being more independent and wanting to try new things such as
smoking, going to places that they know might be dangerous, taking
drugs (which could affect medication) or by experimenting with sex.
With regard to teenage pregnancy, psychological/demographic risk
factors associated with girls becoming pregnant include low educational
attainment, low self-esteem, poverty and low socioeconomic status
(O’Keeffe, 2004). McCarthy (2002: 90) considers that many girls with
intellectual disabilities would also fall into these risk categories, but she
notes that there are no national or international statistics on pregnancies
in girls and young women with intellectual disabilities.
Servais (2002) observed from his research that the fact that women with
severe intellectual disability have or have had a boyfriend and that they
live in a facility attended by people with milder intellectual disability may
83 It can be argued that this statement reflects historical attitudes towards women
with intellectual disability and prevention of pregnancy.