title: Relationship between family quality of life and day occupations of young people with Down syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore relationships between family quality of life, day occupations and activities of daily living (ADL) of young persons with Down syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from 150 families with a young person with Down syndrome aged 16-30 years participating in the Down syndrome "Needs Opinions Wishes" database. Data described the young person's characteristics (including functional abilities, behaviour and day occupations) and family characteristics (including income, family and community supports and quality of life).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to families of young people attending open employment, families of young people participating in sheltered employment tended to report poorer family quality of life, after adjusting for personal characteristics, behaviour and income (coeff -6.78, 95 % CI -14.38, 0.81). Family supports reduced this relationship (coeff -6.00, 95 % CI -12.76, 0.76). Families of young people with greater functioning in ADL reported better family quality of life regardless of personal and environmental factors (coeff 0.45, 95 % CI 0.05, 0.85) and inclusion of family factors such as family supports reduced this association (coeff 0.29, 95 % CI -0.10, 0.67).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participation of young people with Down syndrome in open employment may positively influence family quality of life. Services that facilitate functioning in ADL and assist the families in accessing suitable family supports have the potential to positively influence family quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, kfoley@ichr.uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kitty-Rose
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Girdler
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jacoby
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bourke
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lennox
authors.forename: Stewart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Einfeld
authors.forename: Gwynnyth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Llewellyn
authors.forename: Trevor R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Parmenter
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leonard
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult