Abstract
As persons with mental retardation become increasingly integrated into community settings, their right to sexual expression is an ever more important focus of education and habilitation. The perceptions of service providers of the sexual behavior of persons with mental retardation can have a significant impact on access to these services. Thus, the Perceptions of Sexuality Scale (POS) was developed as a measure of the attitudes of service providers. Data are presented regarding a factor analysis of the POS; ratings of acceptability of the sexual behavior of college students and persons with mental retardation; and the relation of those ratings to certain demographics, general attitudes, and interpersonal contact variables. Suggestions for the use of the POS are made.
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Preparation of this manuscript was partially funded by a grant to the first author from the West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, and by a West Virginia University Public Service Grant to Morris, Bowman, and Scotti, both of which are gratefully acknowledged. Portions of this project represent a senior thesis completed by the second author.
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Scotti, J.R., Slack, B.S., Bowman, R.A. et al. College student attitudes concerning the sexuality of persons with mental retardation: Development of the perceptions of sexuality scale. Sex Disabil 14, 249–263 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02590098
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02590098