The effectiveness of the Familiy Sexuality Education Program (MT-ACEP) for the families of children with intellectual disabilities in adolescence

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Family Sexuality Education Program (MT-ACEP) offered to parents regarding the sexual development of adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Method: The design of this research is the pretest posttest quasi-experimental design with paired control groups, which is one of the quantitative research methods. Within the scope of the research, qualitative data were also collected for determining the needs of parents regarding their children's sexual development and for social validity. The obtained qualitative data were analyzed with the descriptive analysis technique. Results: In this study, parents need for education about their children's sexuality was revealed and the effectiveness of MT-ACEP was investagated. It has been determined that parents need training in the areas of using understandable language/communication and gaining security skills, body cleanliness, correct response to sexual behaviors, controlling unwanted sexual behaviors, parent's feeling of inadequacy, sexual health knowledge, transition to sexuality, adolescence, sexual education for children with no communication skills, masturbation, satisfying the child's curiosity, anger control, emotional change for their children's sexuality. When the effectiveness of MT-ACEP was examined, no significant difference was observed between the experimental group's information need mean score (X=11,25) and the control group this information need mean score (X=12,42) in the independent sampled t-test (t = 0,973, p >0,05). After the practice it was observed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of the experimental group (X=24,22) and the mean score of the control group (X=12,64) taken from the same department (t = 0,973, p <0,05). The effect size of MT-ACEP was determined as 2,58. In addition, in the one sample t-test, it was observed that there was a significant difference between the experimental group's information need mean score before the application (X=11,25) and the post-application information need-mean score (X=24,22) (t = 11,62, p < 0,05). In the control group, it was concluded that there was no significant difference between the mean score of need for information before the practice (X=12,42) and the mean score for the need for information after the practice (X=12,64) (t =-0,231, p >0,05). Conclusion and Suggestions: As a result of the research, it was concluded that MT-ACEP is an effective program on the level of knowledge of parents about the sexual development of their children with intellectual disability. In addition, parents need support in many areas related to the sexual development of their children. The need for full experimental research on the sexual education of individuals with intellectual disabilities continues. Various scales are needed, both based on parental view and collecting data from children themselves. Family education studies on early childhood and adulthood can be included in future research. It is recommended that the sexual development of individuals with intellectual disabilities be followed systematically, just like in individualized education programs, with a sexual education program prepared specifically for the individual and in which the educational institutions and the family act together.