The Impact of Personal and Environmental Characteristics on Quality of Life of People with Intellectual Disability

Cristina Simões () and Sofia Santos ()
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Cristina Simões: University of Lisbon
Sofia Santos: University of Lisbon

Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2017, vol. 12, issue 2, No 9, 389-408

Abstract: Abstract The main purpose of this research was to examine the factors that can affect or predict the quality of life (QOL) of people with intellectual disability (ID). Two groups of factors were analyzed: (a) personal characteristics (gender, diagnosis, and age) and (b) environmental characteristics (living circumstances, daytime activity, and geographical location). Data were collected from 1264 individuals with mild or moderate ID levels and their proxies. QOL was assessed by the Escala Pessoal de Resultados (EPR), the Portuguese version of the Personal Outcomes Scale. The results showed that both sets of characteristics influenced the QOL scores of adults with ID. Furthermore, findings revealed that (a) the factors that strongly affected the QOL scores were diagnosis, age, living circumstances, and daytime activity; (b) the factors that strongly predicted the QOL scores were diagnosis, living circumstances, and daytime activity; and (c) the factors self-reported and reported by the proxies were similar. Implications for practitioners, service systems, and public policies that are directed towards addressing the supports of people with ID are discussed.

Keywords: Quality of life; Intellectual disability; Personal factors; Environmental factors; Predictors; Perceptions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s11482-016-9466-7

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