Role of family caregivers regarding sexual and reproductive health for women and girls with intellectual disability: A scoping review.

The review did not assess study quality, so the strength of the included studies is unknown. Only English-language studies were included, so non-English research may have been missed. The search depended on the databases and terms used, so some relevant studies may have been excluded. The review included 57 articles, and the authors could not do country-specific analysis. Studies used different definitions of intellectual disability and included both women and girls, so implications may differ by disability and age. Most studies had small samples and came from clinical or intellectual disability services populations. This limits generalisability. Most studies were qualitative, mixed-methods, or systematic reviews and commentaries, and many had small samples. Only 13 countries were represented, and most studies came from the United Kingdom or the United States. A protocol of the review was not registered.

The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The article is marked as supported by NIH extramural research.

Do not assume that family caregiver involvement always supports sexual and reproductive health. Some studies found caregivers discouraged sexual expression, requested contraception or sterilisation, or made decisions without the woman's knowledge. This scoping review mapped reported practices and did not test whether these practices improve outcomes.