Psychological services utilization: relationship to severity of behaviour problems in intellectual disability services.

Abstract

Using the Developmental Disabilities Profile, a population service registry, the present study gives an analysis of the relationship between the rated frequency of contact with psychology specialists and a composite rating of 13 behaviour problems in intellectual disability services. An analysis of information on 45,810 adults with intellectual disability indicated that, when the population was divided into quintile groups based on behaviour severity, distinctively different distributions of rated contacts with psychologists were discernible. The people rated in the highest quintile for severity of maladaptive behaviour constituted especially high utilizers of psychology services. About 37% of participants had had no contact with psychologists during the past year, whereas 26% had such contact weekly or more frequently. The findings are introduced and discussed in the context of psychological practice in intellectual disability services and trends toward managed health and behavioural health care in the USA.