Sexual Debut in the Context of Age Transitions of Young Disabled People

Abstract

Youth as a stage of a person's life path is the most intense period in terms of age transitions. Despite the presence of many transitions, most researchers identify several basic age transitions. The current stage of development of society is characterized by the complication, lengthening, increasing variability and risks of liminality (incompleteness) of age transitions. For some categories of the population, the complexity and risks of transition processes are higher. The variety of transitions, the variability of their implementation strategies and individual determinants do not eliminate the possibility of identifying common patterns in their implementation and specifics for each specific group. An urgent task for sociology is to study the general patterns and specifics of age transitions of youth with disabilities. This article reveals the general patterns of one of the age transitions – the acquisition of the first intimate experience. Sexual debut is important for young people, determining the success of solving age-related tasks. The social consequences of disability can add additional context to this process. The results of the study allowed us to conclude that there is a negative impact of the status of a disabled person on the nature and success of sexual debut: the risks of liminality are higher, the stretching of the transition, the presence of objective and subjective barriers. The risks of liminality differ depending on the nature of the nosology. The optimal age of sexual debut (18– 24 years) has no significant gender, nosological, territorial differences. The real age of sexual debut is prolonged both towards adolescence and towards the age of maturity. The risks of liminality increase after 24 years. Gender differences allow us to talk about an earlier age of sexual debut in young men, clearer and less stretched boundaries of experience acquisition in girls. The risks of liminality in young men are higher, the subjective perception of disability as a barrier to transition is also higher. Rural residents have lower chances of success in acquiring sexual experience, the age of sexual debut is less, but the stretching of the age limits of its acquisition is significant.