Parental habitus in promoting self-determination of children with/without intellectual and developmental disabilities in Türkiye

Abstract

BackgroundEnhancing the self-determination of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is a prominent factor in their daily, community, school, or post-school outcomes. Parental practices play a crucial role in promoting self-determination of children with IDD. Families worldwide engage in parenting practices determined by each family’s beliefs and values filtered through cultural experiences related to the place of origin, social structure, and living area. AimsThis study investigated the impact of parental habitus as structured within social and cultural capital on family ratings of child self-determination in two distinct regions of Turkey (Türkiye). Our assumption is that the gap in terms of social, economic, and cultural capital between different districts of the same country affects parental habitus in fostering their children’s self-determination. MethodResearchers collected information from 232 family members regarding the degree of their children’s self-determination in two different geographic areas of Türkiye. We used the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale – Parent Form (AIR-SDS-PF questionnaire and a socio-demographic form to collect data. We employed the univariate analysis (two-way ANOVA) to identify the main and interactional effect among variables. ResultsParental habitus depending on where families live, socioeconomic level, and child’s disability status was influential in promoting self-determination for their children with IDD and counterparts. ConclusionsRegional or micro-cultural differences impacting parental dispositions should be considered in developing or planning self-determination interventions for children with/without IDD in the same country.