1 / 22

Quality of life of adults with intellectual disability – A research study in Greece

Quality of life of adults with intellectual disability – A research study in Greece. Lefkothea Kartasidou, Assistant Professor, University of Macedonia (Greece) Elisavet Pavlidou, PhD Student, University of Macedonia (Greece)

mason-valencia
Download Presentation

Quality of life of adults with intellectual disability – A research study in Greece

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Quality of life of adults with intellectual disability – A research study in Greece Lefkothea Kartasidou, Assistant Professor, University of Macedonia (Greece) Elisavet Pavlidou, PhD Student, University of Macedonia (Greece) Anastasia Chideridou – Mandari, M.A Student, University of Macedonia (Greece)

  2. Introduction • Quality of Life (QoL) is characterized as “the perceptions of people about their position in life in the context of cultural and value system in which they live and in relation with their objectives, expectations, standards and concerns” (World Health Organization Quality of Life Group, 1995) • The value that gives the individual in each dimension may vary and depend on personal expectations, which determine what dimensions of life considered important for a specified period Good QoL = desired conditions of living their acquisition

  3. IntroductionQoL as a multidimensional concept The QoL is a multidimensional concept that is influenced by both personal and environmental factors: Personal factors • The objective living conditions • The staff of well-being • The aspirations of every individual

  4. IntroductionQoL as a multidimensional concept Environmental factors There are three levels of system, which can significantly influence the QoL: • Microsystem (the narrow and everyday environment of the individual), • Mesosystem (the neighbourhood, the community and the organizations), and • Macrosystem (the culture of the place, the socio-political trends and other social factors that influence the values ​​and living conditions of the individual)

  5. IntroductionSupport programs for adults with intellectual disability (ID) Individuals with ID should have control of their lives in order to have a good QoL and this goal should constitute the main and basic direction of all support services. The way of thinking of support programs and services and the mode of agencies has to change: • They have to offer to adults with ID opportunities and alternative ways to demonstrate their preferences and decisions through their daily life. • They have to adjust the environment in which adults with ID reside.

  6. IntroductionSupport programs for adults with intellectual disability (ID) (2) • The implemented interventions should meet the basic principles of QoL. • A focused on the improvement of QoL support program should aim on long-term rather than short-term results • The organizations and educational settings should focus on the transition from a “closed” body to bridge with the community.

  7. MethodologyAim of the study The goal of this research study is to assess: • the reliability of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QoLQ) in Greece and • the QoL of adults with ID in a Special Postsecondary Educational Setting in Greece Research questions of this pilot study focusing on the second goal are: • Do individuals with ID experience a satisfying QoL? • Which are the domains of their QoL that they experience more positively and which are the ones with the most negative experiences and perceptions? • Does the environment influence the QoL of individuals with ID?

  8. MethodologyParticipants • 31 adults with ID (22.58% mild ID, 61.29% moderate ID and 16.13% severe ID) • 19 to 48 years old • 58.06% male - 41.94% female • 20 were living in an institution for disabilities’ boarding house • 11 were living with their families (occupied during the morning hours in the sheltered workshop programs of the institution • 27 participants have a job

  9. MethodologyInstrumentation • The Quality of Life questionnaire (QOLQ) by Schalock and Keith (addressed to adults with ID) • Back to back translation questionnaire adjustment to Greek language • 40 questions - equally divided into 4 scales: • Satisfaction • Competence / Productivity • Empowerment / Independence • Social belonging / Community integration • Interview and 2 proxies (for 2 adults with reduced communication skills)

  10. Reliability and Correlations • Reliability is not satisfactory for all subscales or in total score. Table 1: Reliability

  11. Reliability and Correlations • Each subscale is strongly correlated with the total score of QoL • “Social Belonging/ Community integration” is correlated with “Empowerment/ Independence Table 2: Correlations between subscales and total raw score p < .01; * p < .05

  12. Results • All participants are experiencing a good level of QoL (86.39 out of 120) • The lowest level is experienced on “Empowerment/ Independence”. Table 3: Mean Scores of scales of QoL

  13. Results

  14. Results

  15. Results

  16. Results

  17. Results • There is a statistical significance among participants living with their families and those living in an institution for disabilities’ boarding house The first group living with their families had lower mean score on “Social Belonging/ Community Integration” {t=2.132, df=29, p=.042) than the second group. • Both the group living in the institution and the group living with their families showed low levels of independence, compared to other quality of life domains but there was (no) statistical significance.

  18. Discussion • The reliability of the QoLQ needs to be further tested along with factor analysis for Greek population (Cronbach’s Alpha was very low in three of the four subscales) • Individuals with ID in Greece experience a moderate level of QoL. • The overprotection, the Greek family shows, towards family members with disability explains the low means scores of the domain “Empowerment/ Independence”.

  19. Discussion • Individuals with ID express their satisfaction on the educational or training program but they are not sure about the learning skills in case they will have to search for a new job. Need for taking into consideration the content of the vocational training through the design and implementation of educational programs in order to: • meet the needs of individuals with ID on a long term basis and • prepare them for the transition from one setting to another

  20. Discussion The improvement of the QoL is a collective responsibility of support agencies and public policy Need for implementation of a mechanism and process of funding and technical support Workable practices that focus on the integration of the individual in the community and increase personal outcomes

  21. DiscussionLimitations and Future Suggestions • The small number of participants can only give some important data concerning the usefulness of the questionnaire. • Necessity of further investigation in a wider sample. • Need for an evidence based practice that will aim to improve the QoL of individuals with ID.

  22. Thank you for your attention

More Related