The Role of Occupational Therapists in the Sexual Health of Individuals with Disabilities

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 71 - 80, 30.09.2025

Zeynep Yıldırım , Hülya Yücel

Abstract

Sexuality is considered one of the activities that add meaning to individuals' lives within the context of
occupational therapy. It is closely related to the core components of occupational therapy; including
occupations, contexts, performance patterns, performance skills, and client features. While awareness of the role of occupational therapy in sexuality is increasing worldwide, studies in this area remain
insufficient. Disability is defined as a limitation in a person's ability to perform activities that are socially
expected or which they wish to engage in to make their lives meaningful, and sexuality is one of those
affected areas. This review examines the relationship between occupational therapy, sexuality, and the
experience of disability, aiming to develop suggestions on how sexuality could be addressed in future
occupational therapy practice settings. Therefore, it was focused on the roles of occupational therapy
concerning physical, psychiatric, developmental, and mental disabilities and their impact on sexuality. It
was also emphasized that the role of occupational therapy in sexuality is not limited to disability alone.
The review also discussed interventions to enhance cognitive, physical, and overall well-being. It
highlighted the need for more high-quality research and the expansion of practice areas in a more
comprehensive manner. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to address the role of
disability and sexuality in the field of occupational therapy in Turkey.

Keywords

Sexuality , Sexual Health , Disability , Occupational Therapy

Engellilerin Cinsel Sağlığında Ergoterapistler Ne Yaparlar?

Abstract

Cinsellik, ergoterapinin temel bileşenleri olan okupasyonlar, bağlamlar, performans kalıpları,
performans becerileri ve danışan özellikleri ile yakından ilişkilidir. Dünyada ergoterapinin
cinsellikle ilgili rolüne dair farkındalık artmaktadır, ancak yine de bu alandaki çalışmaların yetersiz
olduğu görülmektedir. Engellilik, bir bireyin toplumsal olarak beklenen aktiviteleri gerçekleştirme
veya hayatını anlamlı kılmak için yapmak istediği aktiviteleri yerine getirme yeteneğindeki bir
yetersizlik olarak tanımlanırken, cinsellik de bu etkilenen alanlardan biridir. Bu derleme,
ergoterapinin cinsellik ve engellilik deneyimi ile ilişkisini incelemekte ve gelecekte ergoterapi
uygulama ortamlarında cinselliğin nasıl ele alınabileceği konusunda öneriler geliştirmeyi
amaçlamaktadır. Dolayısıyla, ergoterapinin fiziksel, zihinsel, gelişimsel ve ruhsal-duygusal
engellilik ile cinsellik üzerindeki rollerine odaklanılmıştır; ancak ergoterapinin cinsellikle ilgili
rolünün yalnızca engellilikle sınırlı olmadığı da vurgulanmıştır. Derlemede bilişsel, fiziksel ve iyilik
halini artırmaya yönelik müdahalelere de yer verilmiştir. Bu konuda daha fazla nitelikli çalışma
yapılması ve uygulama alanlarının daha kapsamlı bir şekilde genişletilmesi gerektiği ortaya
çıkmıştır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de ergoterapi alanında engellilik ve cinselliğin rolünü ele alan ilk
derleme çalışması olma özelliğini taşımaktadır.

Keywords

Engellilik , Cinsel Sağlık , Cinsellik , Ergoterapi

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