Attitudes and beliefs towards pornography use and men with Learning Disabilities: A Q methodological study.

The sexuality of people with learning disabilities (LD) can be a contentious topic. Place pornography into this equation and it often becomes a large taboo, causing angst and concern. Despite pornography being used by many individuals presenting to services, there appears to be no published research on the topic. This makes it difficult for clinicians to make evidence based decisions when pornography use arises in LD services. This thesis aims to explore this apparent taboo and find ways to promote an open approach to pornography use by men with LD.
The first paper reviews the literature regarding attitudes towards pornography from the perspectives of young people. It would have been preferable to review the literature looking at sexuality and the LD population as this was the primary topic of interest. However, this topic had already been extensively reviewed and therefore, it was decided that synthesising literature regarding the attitudes of young people might have parallels with the attitudes towards pornography use in men who have a LD. This decision was made on the basis that young people are beginning to develop their sexuality, and are sexually inexperienced at this stage in their lives, and was not to suggest that individuals with a LD are in an adolescent developmental stage. Pornography can be used in this group as a tool to learn about sex and sexual relationships (Albury, 2014). Therefore, there may be some parallels that can be drawn from understanding the ways young people relate to pornography. The literature review identified seven relevant papers and explored a number of questions relating to how young people think about pornography.
The empirical paper used a Q methodology approach to investigate the attitudes and beliefs held about pornography use in men with LD. A factor analysis on 17 Q sorts identified four factors. These factors represented: a liberal view, a risk focused view, a positive view and a restrictive view. These factors are explored in relation to their clinical implications, including the need for training and professional development for staff working in services. The final paper offers reflections on the process of completing the thesis and learning points.