Exploring Perceptions of Family Relationships by Individuals with Intellectual Disability and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Based on social network methods, this article explores the ways in which individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and psychiatric disorders perceive their family relationships compared with the perceptions of those relationships by family members. A sample of 17 individuals with mild ID and psychiatric disorders, compared with a sample of 17 nonclinical individuals, perceived their family as presenting less emotional support and fewer influential relationships, but the same number of conflict relationships. For the most part, interviews with family members confirmed these results; however, a significant difference exists in perceptions of size and density between patients and their family members. We discuss the importance of these findings for research on family relationships of individuals with ID.