Resilience in parents of adults with intellectual disability

Wood, Leah (2015). Resilience in parents of adults with intellectual disability. University of Birmingham. Clin.Psy.D.

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Abstract

This thesis explores resilience in parents of adults with intellectual disability. It comprises two chapters. The first chapter is a systematic literature review which examines quantitative research reporting psychosocial outcomes of caring for an adult child with intellectual disability. From the 23 identified papers, the findings show that parents of adults with intellectual disability have significantly poorer psychosocial outcomes when compared to non-caregiving populations. However, further longitudinal research is needed to establish predictors of poor psychosocial outcomes in parents of adults with intellectual disability. The second chapter is an empirical qualitative study which explores the experience of caring for a child with Down syndrome across 50 years. Four main themes were discussed – early experiences and feelings of having child with Down syndrome, factors that enabled carers to cope with raising a child/sibling with Down syndrome, experience of caring for an adult with Down syndrome and positive experiences of caring for a child/sibling with Down syndrome. Overall, the study highlights the resilience of parents who care for a child with Down syndrome across their lifespan in their ability to adjust to the challenges of this role and draw on the positives of the experience.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D.

Supervisor(s):