Befriending: A Note of Caution

Accessible summary• People with learning disabilities have fewer friends than others; • Social care interventions are needed to help people to be more socially active in their community;• This review looks at what research has already been done in this area; • This is important to people with learning disabilities as it highlights the importance of having friends in, and outside of, services. SummaryPeople with learning disabilities are among the most socially excluded in society.There is a significant gap in research evidence showing how health and social care workers can intervene to improve the social participation of adults with learning disabilities. A systematic review and modified narrative synthesis was used to appraise the quality and outcomes of published studies in this area. Six of eleven included studies showed a positive effect on social participation. Interventions included person-centred planning, alteration of activity patterns, a befriending scheme and skill-based group sessions. The majority of studies were found to have a moderate risk of bias. Further evidence about the effectiveness of interventions is required to inform policy and practice.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The studies were conducted between the years of 1991 and 2012. Three studies (Hughes & Walden ; Ouellette et al . ; Robertson et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Health and social care interventions which promote social participation for adults with learning disabilities: a review

Howarth

Morris

Newlin

et al. 2014

“…Relationships are thought to be most beneficial where relationships are built around a shared activity or interest that binds the group (Snow, ; Wilson et al, ). However, Hughes and Waldenm () found no evidence for increases in social network size following a befriender programme for people with learning disabilities. Few befriending activities specifically aim to increase the social inclusion of people with learning disabilities, preferring activities at home or in segregated groups in the community where interaction with others is unlikely (Heslop, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration and proposed taxonomy of leisure–befriending for adults with learning disabilities

Southby

2019

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Accessible summary• Taking part in leisure activities is beneficial, yet many adults with learning disabilities are unable to participate in their preferred activities because of cost, because not having anyone to go with or because they do not feel welcome.• Befriending is where someone volunteers to act as a friend. Befriending may be a way for adults with learning disabilities to participate in leisure activities with someone who is not a paid carer or family.• The author spent time with four people with learning disabilities and their befrienders to find out what things they do together and what they both get from it.Friends and family members were also interviewed.• Participants enjoyed the time they spent together. However, they often did the same activities they would do with paid carers or family and the relationship was sometimes quite professional.• Befriending could be a way for adults with learning disabilities to have new, beneficial experiences, but we need to know more about how relationships work. AbstractBackground: Leisure time for adults with learning disabilities is often diversionary and spent doing passive, solitary or family-orientated activities. Befriending, as a hybrid "natural" support, may help adults with learning disabilities overcome the barriers to participation in nonsegregated leisure. Materials and methods:Four case studies of pairs of "befrienders" and "befriendees" were recruited purposively. Participant observation was carried out with each case, followed by semi-structured interviews with participants and relevant stakeholders.Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results:Befriending activities were mostly limited to enjoyable yet "casual" leisure activities that adults with learning disabilities might already participate in with family and paid service providers. Negotiating the befriender role between friend and professional was an ongoing challenge. Conclusions: Outcomes of leisure-befriending relationships for adults with learning disabilities are linked to both the nature of relationships and the types of activities undertaken. There are four proposed ideal types of leisure-befriending relationship, How to cite this article: Southby K. An exploration and proposed taxonomy of leisure-befriending for adults with learning disabilities. Br J Learn Disabil. 2019;47:223-232.

“…Wanting to encourage independence in many aspects of life but reluctant, for example, to permit much freedom around unregulated socialising and by extension the opportunity to form intimate relationships, for fear that they will be abused or exploited in some way (Evans et al 2009;Keith 2007). A fear, moreover which is vindicated by the available research evidence, which indicates that adults with intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse then their nondisabled peers (Hughes 1999;McCarthy & Thompson 1997;Murphy 2007). The essence of the autonomy/paternalism dilemma wrestled with by many parents of adults with Down syndrome living in the parental home is the fact that in spite of all the human rights talk about empowering adults with Down syndrome to become more independent the most important right they lay claim to is the right to ensure that no harm comes to their son or daughter (McCarthy & Thompson's (1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reluctant ‘Jailors’ speak out: parents of adults with Down syndrome living in the parental home on how they negotiate the tension between empowering and protecting their intellectually disabled sons and daughters

Foley

2012

Accessible summary This study looks at the issue of the social lives of adults with Down syndrome who are living at home with their parents. Sometimes, for the very best of reasons, the parents of adults with Down syndrome try to prevent their adult son or daughter with Down syndrome from going out on their own, from having a boyfriend or a girlfriend etc. In this study, I talk to a group of parents about how they feel when they think about the kind of social life their sons and daughters with Down syndrome have. For example, I ask them are they happy with the amount of friends that their son or daughter has, whether their son or daughter has a boyfriend or girlfriend, whether they would like to see their son or daughter get married etc. Because of the role played by parents in the social lives of their intellectually disabled adult son or daughter, it is very important for everybody concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by adults with an intellectual disability to understand why their parents think and act the way they do. Summary While the language of empowerment and human rights have taken centre stage in both the disability literature and disability service provision for adults with intellectual disabilities. One area where there exists a disconnect between theory and practice, in the Republic of Ireland at any rate, lies in the parental home and the role played by parents of adults with intellectual disabilities (this study focuses specifically on adults with Down syndrome) in acting as gatekeepers of their son or daughters social life. For the best of paternalistic reasons, many parents of adults with Down syndrome severely restrict the life choices of their adult sons or daughters. This is particularly the case when it comes to the regulation of their son or daughters sexuality, a possible effect of which may be to effectively deprive their intellectually disabled son or daughter of the opportunity of ever entering into an intimate sexual relationship with another human being. So are parents of adults with Down syndrome actually playing the role of ‘reluctant jailors’? If yes, how do they navigate the enormously tricky terrain that characterises the Scylla and Charybdis like tension between trying to empower their adult son or daughter with Down syndrome while at the same time doing all they can to insure they come to no harm? This study interviews ten parents on the earlier issues, to gain a greater phenomenological understanding on the predicament that many parents of adults with Down syndrome believe themselves to be in.