The life course of individuals with mild intellectual deficits and the factors that account for heterogeneity in their midlife outcomes were examined. Past research has shown that such individuals are at risk for poor occupational attainment in adulthood and more compromised psychological functioning, including increased depression. Although predictors varied for men and women, in general greater midlife occupational attainment was predicted by continuation of education beyond high school, having role models for achievement, and social participation earlier in adulthood. Midlife psychological functioning was predicted by having role models of achievement, having discussed plans for the future with parents and teachers, and achievement of aspirations set in high school. Implications for contemporary models of transition planning are discussed.Having mild deficits in general intellectual functioning is a risk factor for limitations in achievement and social functioning throughout the life course (Drasgow, 2002;Gottfredson, 2004;Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2004). Performing below average on intelligence tests in high school predicts fewer years of postsecondary educational attainment and more limited employment opportunities in adulthood (Hauser, 2002;Neisser et al., 1996). In national data, only 35% of adults with borderline IQs or mild mental retardation were employed as compared to 81% of the general population (Fujiura, 2003). In addition, individuals with mild intellectual deficits are at greater risk of poor psychological functioning than those with higher IQs; for example, women with mild intellectual deficits have been shown to have clinical depression at a rate of 3 to 5.5 times the rate in women with average intellectual functioning (Maughan, Collishaw, & Pickles, 1999;Tymchuk, 1994).These patterns were largely confirmed in a previous study of individuals with mild intellectual deficits conducted by Seltzer and colleagues (Seltzer et al., 2005), in which the authors Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to Marsha Mailick Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waisman Center, Madison, WI 53705. mseltzer@waisman.wisc.edu.
NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 March 11. Published in final edited form as: Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2009 March ; 114(2): 128-143. doi:10.1352/2009 NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript examined life course outcomes for a subgroup of participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study-WLS (Hauser & Sewell, 1985;Hauser, Sheridan, & Warren, 1998). The WLS has followed a random sample of young adults who graduated from high school in 1957 to examine outcomes in midlife. Intelligence tests administered during the junior year in high school made it possible to identify individuals with mild intellectual deficits, operationalized as people who had IQs of 85 or below. Using a case-control design that compared siblings with and without mild intellectual deficits, ...