Investigating Sexual Development and Self-Perceptions of Children with Mild Intellectual Disabilities and Typically Developing Children in the Scope of Mothers' Attitudes toward Sexual Identity Development

Authors : Öznur Güldağ

Pages : 1341-1367

Doi:10.14812/cuefd.1688616

View : 89 | Download : 130

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In our study, we aimed to examine the sexual development and self-perceptions of typically developing children (TDC) and children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) in the context of mothers\\\' perspectives on sexual identity development. In this study, which was designed according to the survey model, 92 TDC and 81 MID children and their mothers were included in the study group, selected by purposive sampling method. While the mothers completed the Personal Information Form and the Parent Attitude Scale, the researchers applied the Demoulin Self-Perception Scale for Children and the Selçuk Sexual Development Scale. The findings showed that the self-perception and sexual development levels of MID children were significantly different from TDC and there was a positive relationship between sexual development and self-perception. In addition, it was found that mothers\\\' attitudes towards sexual identity development did not show a significant trend. However, gender behavior, sexual identity, and attitudes together accounted for approximately 59% of the variance in children\\\'s self-perception. The findings were discussed in the context of the existing literature, emphasizing the need to support children\\\'s development regardless of special needs (SN) conditions.
Keywords : Cinsel Gelişim, Benlik Algısı, Tipik Gelişen Çocuk, Zihinsel Yetersizliği Olan Çocuk, Anne Tutumları

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