Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Feb 2008
A general practice-based prevalence study of epilepsy among adults with intellectual disabilities and of its association with psychiatric disorder, behaviour disturbance and carer stress.
Although the elevated occurrence of epilepsy in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is well recognized, the nature of seizures and their association with psychopathology and carer strain are less clearly understood. The aims were to determine the prevalence and features of epilepsy in a community-based population of adults with ID, and to explore whether the presence of epilepsy was associated with greater psychopathology or carer strain. ⋯ This study supports the high occurrence and chronicity of epilepsy among people with ID. While psychopathology and carer strain is common within this population, underlying disability-related factors appear to be more important than the presence of epilepsy per se.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Nov 2007
Comparative StudySelf-determination, social abilities and the quality of life of people with intellectual disability.
The international literature has documented that self-determination is impacted by environmental factors, including living or work settings; and by intraindividual factors, including intelligence level, age, gender, social skills and adaptive behaviour. In addition, self-determination has been correlated with improved quality of life (QoL). This study sought to contribute to the growing literature base in this area by examining the relationship among and between personal characteristics, self-determination, social abilities and the environmental living situations of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). ⋯ These findings contribute to an emerging knowledge base pertaining to the role of intraindividual and environmental factors in self-determination and QoL. In general, the study replicated findings pertaining to the relative contribution of intelligence to self-determination and QoL, added information about the potential contribution of social abilities, and pointed to the potentially important role of opportunities to make choices as a particularly important aspect of becoming more self-determined, at least in the context of residential settings.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Jul 2007
Drug administration errors in an institution for individuals with intellectual disability: an observational study.
Medication errors can result in harm, unless barriers to prevent them are present. Drug administration errors are less likely to be prevented, because they occur in the last stage of the drug distribution process. This is especially the case in non-alert patients, as patients often form the final barrier to prevention of errors. Therefore, a study was set up aimed at identifying the frequency of drug administration errors and determinants for these errors in an institution for individuals with intellectual disability (ID). ⋯ This study shows that administration errors in an institution for individuals with ID are common and that they are not formally reported to the voluntary reporting system. Furthermore, it identified some determinants that may be the focus for future improvements aimed to reduce error frequency.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Jun 2007
Parenting children with and without developmental delay: the role of self-mastery.
While parenting behaviours have direct effects on children's behavioural outcomes, other, more distal factors also may be shaping the way a mother handles parenting responsibilities. Dispositional factors are likely to be a major influence in determining how one parents. Although researchers have studied the relationships among maternal dispositional factors, parenting, and child behaviours, few studies have examined these relationships when the child is at developmental risk. Children with developmental delays evidence elevated clinical level behaviour problems, so this group is of primary interest in the search for precursors to psychopathology. The present study examined how the maternal dispositional trait of self-mastery, as well as supportive and non-supportive parenting, relate to behaviour problems in young children with and without developmental delay. ⋯ The present study extended research on parental dispositional factors and parenting by measuring self-mastery as a global personality trait rather than measuring self-efficacy related specifically to childrearing. Moreover, relationships were examined for both developmentally delayed and non-delayed samples, allowing for a clearer understanding of the influences on problem behaviours in children with developmental delays. The findings support the view that parenting behaviours have a greater impact on children at developmental risk.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Apr 2007
Understanding distress in people with severe communication difficulties: developing and assessing the Disability Distress Assessment Tool (DisDAT).
Meaningful communication with people with profound communication difficulties depends on the ability of carers to recognize and translate many different verbal cues. Carers appear to be intuitively skilled at identifying distress cues, but have little confidence in their observations. To help in this process, a number of pain tools have been developed, but this sits uncomfortably with the lack of evidence that pain has any specific signs or behaviours. A palliative care team working with people with intellectual disabilities developed the Disability Distress Assessment Tool (DisDAT) to document a wide range of signs and behaviours of distress and when an individual is content. ⋯ There was no evidence that pain has any specific signs or behaviours. The preliminary and assessment phases showed that distress was a useful clinical construct in providing care. The DisDAT reflected patients' distress communication identified by a range of carers, and provided carers with evidence for their intuitive observations of distress.