The Role of Social Support in Participation Perspectives of Caregivers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities in India and South Africa

Shakila Dada, Kirsty Bastable and Santoshi Halder
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Shakila Dada: Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Humanities Faculty, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Kirsty Bastable: Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Humanities Faculty, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Santoshi Halder: Department of Education, University of Calcutta, Alipore Campus, 1 Reformatory St., Kolkata 700027, India

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-18

Abstract: Caregivers are an intrinsic component of the environment of children with intellectual disabilities. However, caregivers’ capacity to support children’s participation may be linked to the social support that they, as caregivers, receive. Social support may increase participation, educational, psychological, medical and financial opportunities. However, there is a lack of information on social support in middle-income countries. The current study described and compared the social support of caregivers of children with intellectual disabilities by using the Family Support Survey (FSS) in India and South Africa. The different types of social support were subsequently considered in relation to participation, using the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). One hundred caregiver–child dyads from India and 123 from South Africa participated in this study. The data were analysed using non-parametric measures. Indian caregivers reported greater availability of more helpful support than did the South African caregivers. Social support was associated with children’s participation diversity (India) and intensity (South Africa). The child-/caregiver-reported participation data showed different associations with participation. Results from this study suggest that perceived social support of caregivers differs between countries and is associated with their child’s participation. These factors need to be considered when generalising results from different countries.

Keywords: social support; family support survey; participation; intellectual disabilities; low- and middle-income country (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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