This article reports on the findings of a quantitative online survey investigating Australian fathers' perspectives on communicating with their children about relationships and sexuality. A diverse sample of 612 Australian fathers of children aged 3 to 12 years completed the "Sex Ed Dads" survey, sharing their views on sexuality…

This article addresses the controversy surrounding the Safe Schools Coalition Australia. Certain politicians and media commentators have accused the initiative of harming the students it ostensibly aims to benefit. Those accusations have, in turn, been labelled 'homophobic' by supporters of the Coalition. This article suggests that the term…

As part of a wider study, this paper reports on Australian educators' understanding of children's typical and problematic sexual behaviour and their source of training in this area. A sample of 107 educators from government, independent and Catholic primary schools, preschools and care organisations across Australia answered an online…

Background: Many people with intellectual disability have limited sexual knowledge. Several assessment tools have been developed to assess the sexual knowledge of people with intellectual disability. This paper examines how clinicians' are using these tools. Method: This research uses a constructivist grounded theory approach. Semistructured…

Background: The aim of this paper was to give an overview of, and a commentary on, research demonstrating what women with intellectual disability are saying about their intimate relationships and sexual lives in the 21st century. Method: A literature search was undertaken for qualitative studies, published in English since 2011, in which the…

Background: Sexuality and relationship education for adults with an intellectual disability has failed to include them in roles other than as learners. This paper reports findings from a study of the experiences of peer educators with an intellectual disability who co-facilitated a respectful relationships education program. Method: Qualitative…

Parents play an essential role in the development of children's sexuality, yet often feel uncomfortable and anxious about how best to communicate with their children about sexual matters. This study had three main aims: (1) to examine parental views and confidence in relation to communicating with their child about sexuality; (2) to explore…

When the author was adviser to the Australian Minister for Education for writing the national Safe Schools Framework (2003), meetings were held with early-childhood care and education administrators from all state, Catholic and independent sectors. Their unexpected message was that educators were facing new problems, those of child sexual abuse in…

In 2004, the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) commissioned the Playing By The Rules research project in response to allegations of sexual assault by members of a professional rugby league team. This article offers an overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches adopted by the team, and the subsequent workplace education…

This grounded theory study of 18 American and Australian counselors explores the impact of working with adolescents with sexual behavior problems. Findings are reported reflecting the counselors' own histories of abuse, their feelings regarding sexual information, their sexual and emotional responses to clients, and the importance of self-care and…

Objectives: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with both short- and long-term adverse mental and physical health consequences, yet there remains considerable controversy about the prevalence of CSA in the general population. There is also little prospective data on unwanted sexual contact (USC) collected during adolescence. Methods: Data…

In Australia, there is a growing expectation that sexuality education should reduce the risks associated with youth sex by providing young people with information on protecting their sexual health. However, this information may be insufficient to ensure that young people make choices that support their sexual safety and autonomy. This paper…

Interviewed 194 Australian adult male survivors of sexual abuse. Found that victimization of boys is underrecognized and underreported, and that boys are not adequately protected by parents or child protection programs. Sexual curiosity, ignorance, sexualization of emotions, and lack of affection contribute to victimization and vulnerability.…

This paper on the problem of sex offending among individuals with intellectual disabilities examines the incidence of this problem, characteristics of intellectually disabled sex offenders, determination of whether the behavior is a paraphilia or functional age-related behavior, and treatment options, with emphasis on the situation in New South…

Forty-eight incarcerated sex offenders were compared with 16 property offenders and 16 nonoffenders on self-report measures of childhood maternal and paternal attachment and adult attachment. Results suggest that insecure childhood attachments may be related to offending behavior generally and that certain combinations of childhood attachment…