Factors associated with self-concept: adolescents with intellectual and development disabilities share their perspectives.
How one perceives the self is critical to long-term development. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceptions of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants included 51 adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their parents (n  =  50), and teachers (n  =  12). A mixed-methods design was used. Qualitative interviews revealed that although 55% of participants self-identified as having a disability, there was a lack of constructive or affirmative language used to describe disability. Overall, adolescents' understanding of disability appeared to be grounded in a deficit model. Quantitative analyses were used to explore demographic variables, adolescent' perception of parent support, and self-determination as possible predictors of global self-worth and social acceptance. Results indicate that family income and parent support are particularly salient for this population.
Department of Human Development and Family Science, 233 HES, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA. jennifer.jones@okstate.edu
Jennifer L
JL
Jones
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult