Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
School of Social Work, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2021 May;34(3):763-776. doi: 10.1111/jar.12851. Epub 2020 Dec 18.
Friendship is important to quality of life, yet people with intellectual disability have more restricted social networks and fewer friends outside family and support staff.
Data from a nationally representative longitudinal study of older adults with intellectual disability (aged >40) examined rates and types of friends. Factors associated with having a best friend and friendship quality were explored.
A large majority (92.4%) had friends but just over half (52%) had a best friend. Co-resident friends (71.8%) were more common than non-resident friends (62%), while staff friendships (62.5%) were important. The majority of best friends were peers with intellectual disability (63.2%), carer/service providers (15.9%) or family (8.4%). Challenging behaviour and communication difficulty were associated with reduced likelihood of having a best friend. A best friend with intellectual disability was associated with lower friendship quality scores.
Limited choice and social opportunity may result in a precarious form of friendship for older people with intellectual disability that undermines their quality of life.
友谊对生活质量很重要，但智障人士的社交网络更为受限，他们在外的朋友除了家人和支持人员之外，寥寥无几。
本研究的数据来自一项针对智障成年人（年龄>40 岁）的全国性纵向研究，该研究调查了他们朋友的数量和类型。还探讨了与拥有最好朋友和友谊质量相关的因素。
绝大多数（92.4%）的人都有朋友，但只有一半多（52%）的人有最好的朋友。同住朋友（71.8%）比不住在一起的朋友（62%）更常见，而工作人员的友谊（62.5%）也很重要。大多数最好的朋友是有智障的同龄人（63.2%）、护理人员/服务提供者（15.9%）或家人（8.4%）。有挑战性的行为和沟通困难与拥有最好朋友的可能性降低有关。与智障人士的最好的朋友有关的是较低的友谊质量评分。
有限的选择和社交机会可能会导致智障老年人的友谊形式不稳定，从而影响他们的生活质量。
