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The role of mental health and challenging behaviour in the quality of life in people with intellectual disabilities in Spain

Carlos Peña-Salazar (Department of Neurology, Hegau Bodensee Klinikum Singen, Singen, Germany) (Mental Health and Social Innovation Research Group, Universitat de Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Spain)
Francesc Arrufat (Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Institut Pere Mata, Tarragona, Spain)
Abel Fontanet (Direction Social and Educational Area, Associació Sant Tomás, Vic, Spain)
Josep Font (School of Special Education, Associació Sant Tomás, Vic, Spain)
Silvia Mas (Riudeperes Center, Associació Sant Tomàs, Vic, Spain)
Pere Roura-Poch (Department of Epidemiology, Consorci Hospitalari de Vic, Vic, Spain)
Josep Manel Santos (Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Consorci Hospitalari de Vic, Vic, Spain) (Mental Health and Social Innovation Research Group, Universitat de Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Spain)

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

ISSN: 2044-1282

Article publication date: 2 January 2018

282

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 (<0.001). 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

Citation

Peña-Salazar, C., Arrufat, F., Fontanet, A., Font, J., Mas, S., Roura-Poch, P. and Santos, J.M. (2018), "The role of mental health and challenging behaviour in the quality of life in people with intellectual disabilities in Spain", Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 34-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-06-2017-0022

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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