Perceptions of people with mild intellectual disability and their family members about family‐based social capital in the Netherlands

Abstract

Families play an important role in the lives of people with intellectual disability as they do for everyone. However, little research has addressed the views of people with intellectual disability about their families by using self‐report. Individual family members may hold different views about their family relationships. Therefore, we used a social capital theoretical perspective to examine (a) how perceptions of people with mild intellectual disability (MID) about their family support networks compare to those of their family members and (b) what factors are associated with any diverging perceptions. Randomly selected participants with MID (n = 111) and their family members (n = 111) were interviewed individually at their homes using the Family Network Method—Intellectual Disability (FNM‐ID). The FNM‐ID examines how people define their family groups and how they perceive existing supportive relationships within this group. The findings showed that participants with MID perceived that they had somewhat denser family networks (i.e., bonding social capital) than family members perceived them to have and were more likely to report bridging social capital. They reported more relationships that involved them providing support to family members. This difference in estimation was greater when the participant with MID displayed higher levels of externalizing behaviour problems. They also perceived more reciprocity in their relationships with family. No differences were found in the estimated numbers of significant family members and relationships in which support was received. It is concluded that people with MID and their family members have different perceptions on several aspects of the family support network. Family professionals and services should seek the views of people with intellectual disability and their family members when carrying out assessments or organizing supports.

Family based social capital of adults with mild intellectual disabilities supported in 24‐hour residential settings compared to outreach settings

“…Previous research has shown the utility of social capital as a theoretical framework to examine support in the family relationships of people with mild intellectual disabilities (Giesbers et al, 2019(Giesbers et al, , 2020a(Giesbers et al, , 2020b(Giesbers et al, , 2022Kramer et al, 2013;Widmer et al, 2008Widmer et al, , 2013. As families are social network structures in which support is typically provided, families are considered a significant source of social capital (Furstenberg & Kaplan, 2004).…”

“…Moreover, many people with mild intellectual disabilities might not experience bridging social capital at all (Giesbers et al, 2022). Decreased levels of bridging social capital may hinder the autonomy that people with mild intellectual disabilities experience within their families (Woolcock, 1998).…”

“…However, they often do not describe their supportive relationships with family members as reciprocal (Giesbers et al, 2020a(Giesbers et al, , 2020b. Moreover, people with mild intellectual disabilities' sense of reciprocity within their family relationships might not always be recognized by their family members (Giesbers et al, 2022).…”

“…However, people with mild intellectual disabilities might experience lower levels of bonding social capital than people in the general population (Giesbers et al, 2020b; Widmer et al, 2008). Moreover, many people with mild intellectual disabilities might not experience bridging social capital at all (Giesbers et al, 2022). Decreased levels of bridging social capital may hinder the autonomy that people with mild intellectual disabilities experience within their families (Woolcock, 1998).…”