Sexual Partner Accumulation From Adolescence to Early Adulthood in Populations With Physical Disabilities in the U.S.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the lifetime and pre-18 sexual partnering patterns of populations with physical disabilities from adolescence to early adulthood and how these patterns further vary by biological sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. METHODS: Data were from 13,458 respondents to Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Poisson regression models were used to assess differences in pre-18 and lifetime sexual partner counts among populations with physical disabilities compared with those without disabilities. Moderation analyses by biological sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation were used to consider further differences among minority subgroups. RESULTS: The results indicated more similarities than differences in sexual partnering patterns across disability severity groups. Specifically, populations with disabilities had just as many pre-18 and lifetime sexual partners as peers without disabilities. There was variation by biological sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, although this was not tied to disability status. CONCLUSIONS: These results fill an important gap in the literature by considering the sexual partnering behaviors of populations with physical disabilities in the U.S. over the life course. Future research should continue to include populations with disabilities and other minority groups to ensure that their experiences are represented in sexual health policies and programs.

Variations in the timing of first sexual experiences among populations with physical disabilities in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Timing of first sex has important implications for later sexual health, but little research has considered this in populations with physical disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper was to examine timing of sexual experiences among populations with physical disabilities in the United States from adolescence to early adulthood, and how timing varies by biological sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. We hypothesized that those with physical disabilities would exhibit earlier initiation of each type of sexual activity compared to those without disabilities, but the degree of differences would depend on disability severity. We further hypothesized that these associations would be moderated by biological sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. METHODS: Data were from 13,458 respondents to Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Cox proportional hazards models assessed differences in timing of vaginal, oral, anal, and first sex by disability severity. RESULTS: Populations with the most severe physical disabilities had a significantly slower progression to first vaginal sex, oral sex, and their first sexual experience compared to those without disabilities (aHR: 0.74-0.77). Timing also differed by biological sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, though the direction and degree of these differences varied by disability severity. CONCLUSIONS: Results fill an important gap in the literature by considering variations in sexual timing among populations with physical disabilities using a longitudinal, nationally representative sample. Future research should continue to promote inclusion of populations with disabilities to inform future policies and programs for healthy sexual development.

Experiences of Vaginal, Oral, and Anal Sex From Adolescence to Early Adulthood in Populations With Physical Disabilities.

PURPOSE: Few studies have sought to understand the typical sexual development of populations with physical disabilities in the United States, and those that do are often based on convenience samples or cross-sectional data. The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between physical disability and experiences of vaginal, oral, and anal sex in a nationally representative sample of individuals in the United States who have been followed from adolescence through early adulthood. METHODS: We used data from 13,456 respondents who completed Waves I (1994-1995) and IV (2008-2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Physical disabilities were identified and grouped by severity using information regarding limb difficulties, blindness, and deafness during adolescence. Analyses included bivariate statistics and adjusted logistic regression models relating physical disability and experiences of each type of sex. RESULTS: Respondents with the most severe physical disabilities had significantly lower odds of experiencing vaginal sex, oral sex, and having any sexual experience compared with the odds of those without disabilities. After stratifying by biological sex, we found that males with the most severe physical disabilities had significantly lower odds of experiencing any type of sex compared with the odds of males without disabilities, whereas females with moderate and severe physical disabilities had significantly lower odds of experiencing vaginal sex compared with the odds of females without disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings build on past research often conducted with convenience samples or cross-sectional data, indicating variation in sexual experiences among populations with disabilities.

The Relationship Between Cognitive Ability and Experiences of Vaginal, Oral, and Anal Sex in the United States.

Few studies have investigated the sexual development of populations with low cognitive abilities in the United States. This article examines the relationship between cognitive ability and various sexual experiences from adolescence (ages 12 to 18) to early adulthood (ages 28 to 34). Data were from 13,845 respondents interviewed at Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a probability sample of adolescents in the United States followed from adolescence to adulthood. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to study relationships between cognitive ability, approximated by the Add Health Picture Vocabulary Test (AHPVT), and experiences of vaginal, oral, and anal sex. After controlling for biological sex, age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES), individuals in the lowest cognitive ability group had significantly lower odds of experiencing each type of sex than those in the average ability group. Although individuals in the highest cognitive ability group had significantly lower odds of experiencing vaginal intercourse than those in the average ability group, this association did not remain significant when analyses were stratified by biological sex. These differences in experiences have implications for future health and warrant further study to understand policy implications for sexual health services and education.