Citation

Sequeira H, Hollins S. Br. J. Psychiatry 2003; 182: 13-19.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry of Disability, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK. heathersequeira@onetel.net.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12509313

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are few publications concerning the psychological reactions of people with learning disabilities to sexual abuse. Most significantly, there are no controlled studies and few which demonstrate a systematic approach to documenting the sequelae of trauma. AIMS: To critically review the published research in this field. METHOD: A literature search in peer-reviewed psychiatry, psychology, nursing and social care journals for the years 1974 to 2001 was conducted and 25 studies were reviewed. RESULTS: Several studies suggest that, following sexual abuse, people with learning disabilities may experience a range of psychopathology similar to that experienced by adults and children in the general population. However, because of methodological limitations, these results are not conclusive. CONCLUSIONS: Whether people with learning disabilities experience reactions to sexual abuse similar to the general population has yet to be explored by systematic research.

Language: en