Does the severity of disability matter? The opinion of parents about professional support in residential facilities.
BACKGROUND
Researchers have shown that the characteristics of a person with an intellectual disability (ID), in particular the severity of the disability, are related to the outcomes of professional support. Hardly any studies have asked parents and/or legal guardians for their own opinion about the quality of support given to their child/family member with ID. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between the severity of a person's disability and the opinions voiced by the parents and/or other legal guardians of that person concerning several aspects of the quality of support received in residential care.


METHODS
Questionnaires were completed by 1058 parents and/or legal guardians of people with ID living in residential facilities. A multiple covariance analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between the severity of the disability and the parents' and/or legal guardians' opinions.


RESULTS
Only small differences in the opinions about the quality of support were observed between parents and/or legal guardians of people with mild to moderate ID and those of people with severe to profound ID.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that there are differences in parental opinions about the quality of support, but that most of these differences are not related to the severity of disability. The only significant difference related to the severity of disability is on the leisure activities domain. Parents and/or legal guardians of a person with severe/profound ID were less satisfied with leisure activities than parents and/or legal guardians of persons with mild/moderate ID. It is important to determine to what other factors parental opinions are related, as these opinions concerning the quality of support are important measures alongside client self-reports and measures of the facility itself. The quality of support should be measured using a combination of methods for different stakeholders.
Department of Special Needs Education and Child Care, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
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J
Luijkx
Department of Special Needs Education and Child Care, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
A
A
Ten Brug
Department of Special Needs Education and Child Care, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
C
C
Vlaskamp
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D002648:Child; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012112:Residential Facilities / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
group homes; intellectual disabilities; parental opinion; quality of support; residential services; severity of disability