Stress factors in persons with intellectual disabilities in different types of housing

Abstract

Introduction. Type of housing is of great importance for the overall quality of life and general psychosocial well-being of persons with intellectual disabilities, as evidenced by the results of numerous studies showing that people with intellectual disabilities living in institutions have a lower level of life satisfaction compared to those living in the open community. Material and Methods. In order to determine the levels of experienced stress related to the type of housing in people with intellectual disabilities, we carried out a study including 122 persons with intellectual disabilities living in different types of housing; in institutions (n = 51), with families (n = 38), and in the supported housing program (n = 33). The Life Stress Inventory was used for the purpose of this research. Results. The results showed that people who were included in the supported housing program experienced the least stress, compared to the subjects who lived with their families or in institutions (p < 0.001). Stress was the least prevalent in the supported housing program, but the other two groups had similar results. The presence of stress did not differ significantly between subjects living with their families and those living in institutions. Conclusion. We can conclude that subjects living in supported housing experienced significantly less stress compared to the other two groups. Different types of housing were associated with different levels of stress. Overall, negative interpersonal relationship was identified as the stress factor that correlated most significantly with other stress factors.