September 2020 – Present
Study Title: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Sexual Well-Being Among Young Disabled People Engaged with Social Workers: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Funding: Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship
About the Study:
This study explores the lived experiences of sexual well-being among young disabled people and identifies sex-positive and anti-ableist approaches to support sexual well-being in social work. Twenty-four interviews with young disabled people in Ontario who had previous experience seeking support from a social worker were conducted and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings detail 1) how young disabled people conceptualize sexual well-being; 2) how social workers address the intersection of sexual well-being and disability in professional practice, and 3) young disabled people’s perspectives on best practice approaches for social workers when supporting young disabled people with their sexual well-being.
Progress: We are currently engaged in knowledge mobilization initiatives!
Results: Fall 2024!
Publications Related to This Project
Goulden, A. (2024). Young disabled people and sexual well-being. In S. Kattari (Editor), Exploring sexuality and disability: A guide for academics and health and human service professionals. Routledge.
Goulden, A. & Kattari, S. (2022). Sexual orientation, sexuality, and the disability community. In E. Slayter & L. Johnson (Editors), Social work practice and the disability community: An intersectional anti-oppressive approach. Pressbooks.
Goulden, A. (2021). A critical review of social work interventions and programs that support disabled youth with their sexual well-being. Journal of Social Work Practice, 35(4), 403-417.
Presentations Related to This Project
Goulden, A. (2024, January). “I’m worthy of having experiences just like everybody else”: Exploring sexual well-being among young disabled people. 28th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. Washington, DC.
Goulden, A. (2022, January). “I feel out of the loop”: Young disabled people’s experiences accessing sex-positive support (poster presentation). 26th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. Washington, DC.
Goulden, A. (2019, June). Social work practice with disabled youth and their sexual well-being: A scoping review (oral paper). Canadian Association for Social Work Education – Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Vancouver, BC.