The ‘double‐bind of dependency’: early relationships in men with learning disabilities in secure settings

Abstract

Accessible Summary This research project is about social lives. Ten men with learning disabilities who had broken the law and who lived in hospital talked about their social lives. We asked the 10 men about the people who had been in their lives before they broke the law. This research project matters to people with learning disabilities because it tries to find out how different experiences affected the 10 men who were interviewed. This could help us understand all people with learning disabilities better and could make services better for everyone. Summary Although the development of secure attachments has been shown to be more problematic for people with learning disabilities, there is a shortage of research into the attachment experience of people with learning disabilities who have broken the law. The present study used thematic analysis to explore the attachment experiences of 10 men with learning disabilities in secure settings. Attention was paid to formative relationship experiences in early life, along with an exploration of current relationships, with the content and direction of interviews being guided by participants. Two superordinate themes emerged from the analysis: ‘disempowerment’ and ‘ineffective care’. Results suggest that participants experienced a ‘double‐bind of dependency’ in which they felt a strong need for others, but had experienced unhelpful or harmful relationships. The clinical and practical implications for this are discussed.

“I’d trust them if they understood learning disabilities” support needs of people with learning disabilities in the Criminal Justice System

“…The findings expose a difficult experience for people with LD within the CJS, with several support needs left unmet. Participants had to rely on family members to fulfil the role that trained professionals have been identified to provide, and it has been shown that people with LD in forensic services do not always have the relationships with their family members that would facilitate this (Rayner et al, 2015). Participants suffered fear, loneliness and other negative feelings within the system, and lacked emotional support to deal with these.…”

In search of a family: The contribution of art psychotherapy to a collaborative approach with a man residing in a forensic learning disability setting

“…When speaking about their early relationship experiences, men with learning disabilities detained in forensic services spoke of a “double‐bind of dependency,” where they were dependent upon third parties to guide and nurture them and to keep them safe; yet the people on whom they were dependent were all in one way or another unable to meet their needs and were often abusive or exploitative and were always experienced as rejecting. This often resulted in a lack of sense of self and limited personal resources (Rayner, Wood, & Beail, ). Poor attachments impact on self‐confidence, social skills and empathy, characteristics that have been shown to be significant risk factors for sexual offenders with learning disabilities (Ward, Hudson, Marshall, & Siegert, ) and autism (Kalyva, ; Murrie & Warren, ).…”