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The impact of alleged abuse on behaviour in adults with severe intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- MURPHY G.H., O'CALLAGHAN A.C., CLARE I.C.H.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(10), October 2007, pp.741-749.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disabilities (ID) are particularly vulnerable to abuse, and most incidents come to light through victim disclosure. Those people with severe or profound ID are not able to describe what has happened to them. This project aimed to describe the consequences of abuse and changes in behaviour following alleged abuse in 18 adults with severe ID. Family members or other carers were interviewed to collect information about the alleged abuse. They were also asked about the person's adaptive and challenging behaviours at three time points: in the 3 months immediately prior to the abuse (time 1), in the 3 months immediately after the abuse (time 2) and in the 3 months prior to interview (time 3). A typical pattern emerged for both adaptive and challenging behaviours: there were few problems or difficulties at time 1, major difficulties at time 2 and some recovery by time 3. Evidence is mounting that clinicians considering the sequelae of abuse for people with severe or profound ID need to consider changes in adaptive and challenging behaviours, as well as the typical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The psychological impact of abuse on men and women with severe intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- ROSWELL A.C., CLARE I.C.H., MURPHY G.H.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 26(4), 2013, pp.257-270.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: In other populations, the psychological impact of abuse has been conceptualised as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1994), but little is known about whether this is appropriate for adults with severe intellectual disabilities and very limited communication skills. Methods: An informant interview, based on the framework provided by PTSD, but supplemented with additional questions, was developed and was used to elicit the emotional, behavioural and physiological symptoms of alleged abuse in 18 people with intellectual disabilities at three time points: in the 3 months immediately prior to the alleged abuse (Time 1), in the 3 months immediately after the abuse (Time 2) and in the last 3 months prior to interview (Time 3). Results: The reports of the family and carer informants indicated that, following their alleged abuse, the victims experienced marked increases in the frequency and severity of emotional, physiological and behavioural symptoms of psychological distress. Over time, there was some alleviation of these difficulties, but psychological functioning remained severely compromised. Conclusions: While the established PTSD framework is appropriate for examining the psychological impact of abuse, some amendments are required to enable clinicians to examine fully the distress of alleged victims with severe intellectual disabilities. (Publisher abstract)