Comparison of the Living Conditions of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in a Swedish County and in the General Population

No ordinary adult life: Living conditions from the perspective of adults with intellectual disabilities

This study focuses on the subjective experience of the living conditions of adults with intellectual disabilities as related to the Uppsala Quality of Life model (UQoL2). Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted to study issues raised by people with intellectual disabilities. Study participants had their own home, either in an ordinary dwelling or group home. The findings show that the dependence on support in daily life infringes on the sense of adult social status and control of life. Staff and family had a mandate to define Quality of Life, which countered the possibilities of a life based on the preferences of those with intellectual disabilities. Knowledge about factors that affect living conditions, one of the social determinants of health, has implications for public health in general and the development of society's efforts for people who are in lifelong dependence on support and service from others.

The athletic work force: Sport as a key to employment for people with intellectual disabilities?

BACKGROUND

People with disabilities are employed at lower rates than non-disabled individuals and, among people with disabilities, those with intellectual disabilities have most difficulty finding and keeping employment. The reasons for the low labour participation among people with intellectual disabilities are many. Sport participation has a number of positive effects for the individual, and it is reasonable to hypothesise that sport participation favours labour-force participation for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

The dual aim of the current study was to investigate labour market participation among Swedish athletes with intellectual disabilities attending Special Olympics Invitational Games, and to investigate these athletes' experiences regarding the effect of sport participation on finding and keeping a job.

METHOD

The study design includes two parallel data collections, a survey and an interview study. The survey was analysed using descriptive statistics and the interviews were analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

The major result of the survey was the large number of individuals with intellectual disabilities who were in work: among men, 72% and, among women, 44%. This result was encouraging and differs from previous statistics on employment among Swedes with intellectual disabilities. The content analysis resulted in a first step in the categories manual work, individual sports and team sports, and in a second step, where the relation between sports and work was analysed, in two categories, namely indirect and direct relations between sport and work.

CONCLUSION

To improve chances for individuals with intellectual disabilities to find and keep a job, sports participation should be encouraged.

'Now that I am connected this isn't social isolation, this is engaging with people': Staying connected during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The COVID-19 global pandemic has put adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities at greater risk of being socially excluded due to physical distancing. Technology has been looked at as a tool for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities to stay connected, however, little is known about this topic. The purpose of this study was to explore how a grassroots disability organisation used technology to help adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities feel socially connected during the pandemic.

Methods

Data were collected through questionnaires, attendance records, and field notes; and analysed through trend and thematic analysis.

Findings

Four main themes emerged from the data: active leadership, mental wellbeing, technology/digital inclusion, and safety.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that when participants overcome technological barriers they found it easy to socially connect online during lockdown.

Information and communication technology use in daily life among young adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

Information and communication technology (ICT) increases participation in life activities, and young adults are frequent users. Young adults with intellectual disability (ID) do not use ICT as much as their peers, and little is known about how ICT is used by young adults with ID. This study describes the use of ICT from the perspective of young adults with mild to moderate ID in a municipal social care context.

METHOD

Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from 11 young adults with mild-to-moderate ID living in residential care and analysed using a content analysis.

RESULTS

ICT was used for family relationships, daily support, interactions based on interests and amusement, and as support for offline activities. Family members were important providers of support for ICT use.

CONCLUSION

Young adults with mild-to-moderate ID use ICT in their daily life. The social care context needs to be further investigated due to its influence on the young adults' access to ICT and need of support.

Teachers' and parents' views on the Internet and social media usage by pupils with intellectual disabilities

This article reports experiences from a Swedish study, discussing teachers' and parents' views on how young people with intellectual disabilities use the Internet and social media. Five semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with teachers (n = 8) in special programmes in upper secondary schools for pupils with intellectual disabilities and parents (n = 5) of pupils in the same form of schooling, and they were analysed with thematic analysis. Teachers more strongly emphasize a pupil's use of the Internet for interactive purposes. Parents had expectations that the Internet could be a tool for gaining more awareness of one's own disability and a way to meet other peer group pupils. Teachers' and parents' perspectives on the Internet and social media usage are important since it is imperative to show how support can be provided for young people with intellectual disabilities.

Mothers with intellectual disability, their experiences of maltreatment, and their children's attachment representations: a small-group matched comparison study

Maternal intellectual disability (ID) is regarded a risk factor in child development, but there is no scientific evidence on maternal ID in relation to children's attachment. Using a matched comparison design, a small group (n = 23) of mothers diagnosed with ID was studied to help fill this gap. Besides maternal ID, we examined the role of abuse/trauma/maltreatment (ATM) in the mothers' biographies, along with potential confounds. Comparison group mothers (n = 25) had normal variations in intelligence and matched mothers with ID on residential area, income, child age, and sex. History of maternal ATM was assessed using a semi-structured interview and was found to be significantly more likely in the ID group mothers' experience than the comparison group mothers. Children's (M age = 77 months) attachment representations were assessed with the Separation Anxiety Test. Among children of mothers with ID, a substantial minority (35%) had a secure and the vast majority (>80%) an organized attachment representation. Mothers with ID who had suffered elevated ATM were significantly more likely to have children who were scored high on disorganization and insecurity. We discuss possible implications of our findings for societal considerations regarding parenting and child attachment in the context of parental ID status.

Promoting health of people with intellectual disabilities: Views of professionals working in group homes

Deinstitutionalisation has influenced the life situation for people with intellectual disabilities, whilst the experiences of health promotion in group homes now are limited. This study aimed to explore aspects important to consider when promoting health amongst persons with intellectual disabilities in group homes, from the perspective of professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven professionals and were analysed with thematic analysis. The overarching theme 'sense of security' was identified as a prerequisite for health promotion, together with the sub-themes 'resources in the organisation', for example, respectful treatment of the residents, and `resources of the residents', for example, meaningfulness and social connectedness. Findings were discussed from the perspective of health assets which is defined as the factors contributing to maintain and sustain health. The importance of strengthening external assets, that is, resources in the society and the organisation, to promote internal assets, that is, residents' individual resources, and ultimately their health, is emphasised.

The meaning of the lived experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities in a Swedish institutional care setting: a reflective lifeworld approach

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study describes the meaning of the lived experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities in a Swedish institutional care setting.

BACKGROUND

Despite the general intention of the Swedish law to give care and support for adults with intellectual disabilities in small settings in the community, large institutional care settings exist in Sweden. It is also known that adults with intellectual disabilities have more influence over their care and support when living in small settings than in large institutions. There is a dearth research in regard to studies that focus on how adults with intellectual disabilities experiences their everyday life in such settings.

DESIGN

A qualitative design was used to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities in an institutional care setting in Sweden.

METHODS

Fieldwork from September 2006 to June 2009 in an institutional care setting including participant observation and in-depth interviews with 12 residents was used. Verbatim-transcribed text was analysed using a phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach.

RESULTS

The essential picture of the phenomenon was experienced 'as a meaningful and meaningless existence' and was reflected in residents' descriptions of their everyday life in the setting. It was characterised by the constituents: ambiguous dependency, social interactions and everyday life in a restricted area.

CONCLUSION

The results reveal the importance of paying close attention to what adults with intellectual disabilities have to say about their everyday life when living in an institutional care setting. For caring practices of people with intellectual disabilities, it is scarcely satisfactory that residents experience an ambivalent dependency and of having to live in a restricted area.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results of this study contribute to better insight and deeper knowledge of the lived experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities, enabling the staff and management to further enhance the well-being for residents. In addition, the findings provide feedback to staff, managers and researchers working in the intellectual disabilities field.

The role of staff in health promotion in community residences for people with intellectual disabilities: variation in views among managers and caregivers

Managers and caregivers in community residences for people with intellectual disabilities are expected both to promote residents' health and to support their autonomy. The aim of this article was to explore variation in views among managers and caregivers on the role of staff in health promotion. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with six managers and six caregivers. The analysis used a phenomenographic approach to categorize variation in views. We identified five qualitatively different main categories of roles staff play in health promotion: the parent, the manipulator, the coach, the educator and the libertarian. In addition lifestyle-related risk factors for ill-health and barriers to a healthy lifestyle were analysed and described using qualitative content analysis. The results highlight the ethical conflict that faces staff trying to support a healthy lifestyle as well as the autonomy of the residents.

Social aspects of eating events among people with intellectual disability in community living

BACKGROUND

In Sweden, a process involving the de-institutionalisation of services and the establishment of community-based settings for people with intellectual disability has meant changes in meal arrangements. In the present study, we focus on the social arrangements of meals in community-based settings.

METHOD

Participant observations were used to study the meals as social events for 32 participants, 9 of whom lived in supported living and 23 in group homes.

RESULTS

Breakfast and dinner were often eaten alone, while lunch at the daily activity centre and the food eaten between meals (snacks) were mostly shared with other people. Meals for participants in supported living were seldom social, and meals for participants in the group homes often hierarchical.

CONCLUSION

The participants were often limited in choosing their company at meals, which typically consisted of other people with intellectual disability and staff. If they made such choices, they were dependent upon staff support to realise them.

Support in housing: a comparison between people with psychiatric disabilities and people with intellectual disabilities

The primary objective of this study was to compare type of housing and support in housing in two groups (people with psychiatric disabilities and people with intellectual disabilities) typically dependent on support in everyday life. A second objective was to examine whether type of housing and support in housing were related to gender within the two groups. Information was obtained by available questionnaire reports provided by staff members. The results indicate unequal accessibility of support in housing in relation to the two groups. Moreover, the findings suggest that type of disability is a more determining factor than gender regarding support in housing.