The role of mental health and challenging behaviour in the quality of life in people with intellectual disabilities in Spain
| Published date | 02 January 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-06-2017-0022 |
| Pages | 34-43 |
| Date | 02 January 2018 |
| Author | Carlos Peña-Salazar,Francesc Arrufat,Abel Fontanet,Josep Font,Silvia Mas,Pere Roura-Poch,Josep Manel Santos |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities |
The role of mental health and challenging
behaviour in the quality of life in people
with intellectual disabilities in Spain
Carlos Peña-Salazar, Francesc Arrufat, Abel Fontanet, Josep Font, Silvia Mas,
Pere Roura-Poch and Josep Manel Santos
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to determine the relation between quality of life (QoL), mental illness,
challenging behaviour and institutionalisation in an adult population with intellectual disabilities (ID).
Design/methodology/approach –The study assessed the QoL and its conditioning factors in 142 subjects
with different degrees of ID. The GENCAT and Quality of Life in Late Stage Dementia scale were used to
evaluate QoL, the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disability and Diagnostic
Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II scale to assess mental illness and the Inventory for Client and
aetiology Planning scale to assess challenging behaviour.
Findings –Individuals who live in residential care homes were found to have significantly impaired QoL
(o0.001). Individuals with challenging behaviour presented significantly lower QoL, regardless of ID
aethiology and degree, while psychiatric disorders did not seem to have a direct influence on individual QoL.
Originality/value –This paper provides new insight into the importance of challenging behaviour and
psychiatric disorders in the QoL of individuals with ID.
Keywords Mental health, Challenging behaviour, Intellectual disabilities, Mental illness, Quality of life,
Psychiatric disorder
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The quality of life(QoL) of people with intellectualdisabilities (ID) has been the subjectof attention in
numerous studies in the last two decades (Schalock and Verdugo Alonso, 2002), as these
individuals are considered to have potentially lower QoL than the general population (Golubovic
´
and Skrbic
´, 2013; Simões and Santos,2016). The World Health Organization (1997,p. 1) defines
QoL as “individuals’perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value
systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns”.
Due to its inherent complexity QoL is difficult to measure rigorously, since it is influenced by many
factors (Schalock and Verdugo Alonso, 2002). It may be disguised by factors such as: age,
sensory and motor limitations, medical comorbidity, mental illness, nutritional problems
(Petry et al., 2009) and the fact of being institutionalised (Sines et al., 2012).
There are a number of different QoL models, but two of the most widely used are “My Life:
Personal Outcomes Index (Edmonton PDD., 2011) or the Schalock and Verdugo Alonso’s
(2002) multidimensional model”, consisting of eight domains: “Emotional Wellbeing,
interpersonal relations, material wellbeing, personal development, physical wellbeing, self
determination, social inclusion and rights”.
Although there are no specific instruments to measure the QOL of people with ID and challenging
behaviour, self-reported and proxy assessment tools have been developed to measure QoL
Received 5 June 2017
Revised 17 October 2017
10 November 2017
12 November 2017
Accepted 13 November 2017
The authors affiliations can be
found at the end of this article.
PAGE34
j
ADVANCESIN MENTAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUALDISABILITIES
j
VOL. 12 NO. 1 2018, pp.34-43, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2044-1282 DOI 10.1108/AMHID-06-2017-0022
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