Predictors of completion of upper secondary education of young adults with severe physical and multiple disabilities in Finland

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prior studies have shown that young adults with severe physical and multiple disabilities are less likely to complete upper secondary education. This study aimed to identify whether these students’ type of multiple disability, gender, location and literacy skills were associated with completion of upper secondary education. The participants were 74 young adults with severe physical disabilities (aged 19–22, M age = 20.2, SD = 1.16), of whom 39 (52.70%) had multiple disabilities. The data was gathered via the healthcare professionals’ instrument, Severely Disabled Youth’s Life Situation and Functioning of Service Systems in Finland. The results of chi-squared tests of independence indicated that having severe physical disability (other than cerebral palsy) with intellectual disability, location, and literacy skills were associated with completion of upper secondary education. The binary logistic regression showed that urban location and moderate or good literacy skills predicted completion of upper secondary education.