Friendship activities of adults with intellectual disabilities in supported accommodation in Northern England

Eric Emerson, Keith McVilly

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

119 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background Despite there being considerable evidence to suggest that friendships are central to health and well-being, relatively little attention had been paid to the friendships of people with intellectual disabilities. Methods Friendship activities involving people with and without intellectual disabilities were measured over the preceding month in a sample of 1542 adults with intellectual disabilities receiving supported accommodation in nine geographical localities in Northern England. Results The results of the study indicate: (1) low levels of friendship activities among people with intellectual disabilities in supported accommodation; (2) people with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be involved in activities with friends who also have intel lectual disabilities than with friends who do not have intellectual disabilities; (3) most friendship activities take place in the public domain rather than in more private settings (e.g. at home); (4) the setting in which a person lives is a more significant determinant of the form and content of activities with their friends than the characteristics of participants. Conclusions Further attention needs to be given to research and practice initiatives aimed at increasing the levels of friendship activities of people with intellectual disabilities.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)191-197
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Friendships
  • Relationships
  • Social networks
  • Supported accommodation

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