Family sexual communication and sexual behavior of Malaysian adolescents with learning disabilities aged between 10-17

In Malaysia, sexuality issues are considered as "taboo" and inappropriate to be discussed openly. This study aimed to examine the validity of Malay-translated versions of two instruments: The Parent Sexual Education Inventory (PSEI-M) and the Sexual Behaviour Scale (SBS-M). Next, to investigate the sexual behaviours of adolescents with learning disabilities, determine the family sexual communication approaches, and analyse differences in adolescent sexual behaviour based on the presence or absence of family sexual communication. The research was conducted in two phases across multiple locations in Malaysia. Phase 1 involved the translation and validation processes for the PSEI-M and SBS-M. Content validation involved a total of eight experts and concurrent validation participated by 357 parents for the PSEI-M, and 348 parents for the SBS-M. Phase 2 employed a cross-sectional survey design with 383 parents of adolescents with learning disabilities firom 27 schools in Batu Pahat, Johor Bahru, and the Klang Valley region. The results demonstrated high content validity for both instruments, with Scale-Content Validity Index Average scores above 0.96 for relevance and clarity. Strong positive correlations (r = 0.88) were observed between the Malay and original English versions, indicating robust concurrent validity. The findings revealed that the most sexual behaviour reported by parents was that their adolescents with learning disabilities touched private parts in public (25.6%), while 4.2% behave unacceptably towards individual that they romantically admired. Most parents (58%) provided sexual knowledge on privacy, but fewer addressed other domains such as biological aspects, relationships, and sexual awareness. Verbal explanations were the predominant family communication technique used. Chi-square result showed a significant association (p = 0.025) was found between the presence of family sexual communication and sexual behaviours among learning disabilities adolescents. Even with limitations including reliance on parent reports, absence of adolescent self-reports, and limited regional representation, findings highlight the contribution of family sexual communication in shaping adolescent sexual behaviours, strong relevance for OT practice, supporting the integration of sexuality as a meaningful area of intervention and advocacy for individuals with learning disabilities.