Group psychotherapy for trauma‐related disorders in people with intellectual disabilities
| Date | 16 September 2011 |
| Published date | 16 September 2011 |
| Pages | 40-45 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/20441281111180655 |
| Author | Nancy J. Razza,Daniel J. Tomasulo,Dick Sobsey |
| Subject Matter | Education,Health & social care |
Practice
Group psychotherapy for trauma-related
disorders in people with intellectual
disabilities
Nancy J. Razza, Daniel J. Tomasulo and Dick Sobsey
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is threefold: to summarize data on rates of sexual abuse and
interpersonal trauma in people with intellectual disability (ID); to demonstrate the relationship between
such trauma and psychological distress; and to describe a promising treatment technique for such
exposed individuals.
Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature on rates of abuse and trauma among people
with ID is presented with particular attention paid to the role of developmental level in both the experience
and impact of trauma. Drawing from this understanding of the phenomenologyof traumatic exposure in
people with ID, the authors present a theoretical framework for psychotherapeutic intervention.
Findings – This paper establishes the inverse relationship between the higher-than-average rates of
trauma and interpersonal violence in the ID population, co-occurring with lower-than-average access to
treatment, and lower-than-averagetreatment model development for this population. Further, this paper
providesa description of a theoretically based therapeutic intervention with preliminary research efficacy.
Practical implications – This paper documents three key areas in need of attention in order to reduce
the suffering of people with ID: the need to address the high rates of exposure to abuse; the importance
of taking into account developmental level when assessing the impact of potentially traumatic
experiences; and the efficacy of the interactive-behavioral model of group psychotherapy for people
with ID who have trauma-related distress.
Originality/value – This paper points to the need for systematic efforts to reduce the rate of traumatic
exposure to which people with ID are disproportionately exposed. Moreover, it establishes how
important the role of developmental level is in understanding how exposure to abuse may result in the
development of psychological disorders. Finally,this paper provides a clear understanding of a targeted
therapeutic approach and the need for a system of accessible care so that afflicted individuals may
have the benefit of such therapy.
Keywords Group psychotherapy,Trauma, Intellectual disabilities, Violence, Developmental psychology
Paper type Conceptual paper
Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one
only by other human beings (Elie Wiesel).
Adults and children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) experience more interpersonal trauma
than do people without disabilities (Sobsey, 2005). There have been many studies linking
child maltreatment to IDs. (Sobsey,2005). For example, Sullivan and Knutson (2000) studied a
cohort of 40,000 children in Nebraska. Children diagnosed with IDs were 3.7 times as likely to
be neglected, 3.8 times as likely to be emotionally abused, 3.8 times as likely to be physically
abused, and 4.0 times as likely to be sexually abused. A 2005 study (Spencer et al., 2005),
examined a cohort of more than 119,000 children born between 1983 and 2001 in the UK.
PAGE 40
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ADVANCES IN MENTALHEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
j
VOL. 5 NO. 5 2011, pp. 40-45, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2044-1282 DOI 10.1108/20441281111180655
Nancy J. Razza is based at
The Elizabeth M. Boggs
Center on Developmental
Disabilities, UMDNJ,
Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School, New
Brunswick, New Jersey,
USA.
Daniel J. Tomasulois based
at the New Jersey City
University, Jersey City,
New Jersey, USA.
Dick Sobsey is based at the
University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Canada.
This paper is a revised version
of a chapter entitled ‘‘Group
psychotherapy with trauma
survivors who have intellectual
disabilities’’, originally
published in Psychotherapy for
Individuals with Intellectual
Disabilities, edited by
Robert J. Fletcher and
published by NADD Press,
2011. This version appears in
Advances in Mental Health and
Intellectual Disabilities courtesy
of NADD Press.
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