title: Everyday technology use among people with mental retardation: relevance, perceived difficulty, and influencing factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While the development and possibilities of technology today are commonly regarded to be unlimited, knowledge regarding the technological needs of people with mental retardation is fairly limited. The aim of this study was to enhance knowledge of perceived relevance and difficulty in using everyday technology (ET) such as stoves, cell phones, and elevators in adults with mental retardation.
  
  
  METHODS
  120 participants with different levels of mental retardation were interviewed with the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ) about their use of such technologies in their everyday life. Analyses of variance, post hoc tests, and regression analyses were used to explore the data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants with moderate and severe mental retardation differed in mean perceived difficulty from those with mild mental retardation, suggesting that increased perceived difficulty in ET use is related to the level of mental retardation. Differences between groups were also found in the proportion of items that were relevant for each person. The variables Level of Mental Retardation, Additional Disabilities, and Proportional Relevance of ET Items could together predict 67.2% of the variation in perceived difficulty in technology use. The findings also indicate that age, housing, gender, and geographical district do not covariate with perceived difficulty in ET use.
authors: Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Occupational Therapy , Stockholm , Sweden.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Hällgren
authors: Louise
authors: L
authors: Nygård
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Kottorp
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013672:Technology; D055815:Young Adult