The Adolescent Concept of Social Participation—A Qualitative Study on the Concept of Social Participation from Adolescents with and without Physical Disabilities

Abstract

Purpose The construct of social participation is still not clearly defined. To reach a better understanding of social participation, the perspectives of adolescents must be taken into account. This study explores the adolescent concept of social participation and expands knowledge of the meaning of subjective components of the term. Methods Thirty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents with and without physical disabilities or chronic diseases between the ages of 12 and 17 and analyzed according to grounded theory. Results Adolescents describe social participation as involving reflexive interaction with their social environment. Furthermore, forming a social environment plays an important role. All components of the concept are embedded in a context that influences the ways adolescents participate. Adolescents differentiate between active and passive forms of social participation. The concept of reflexive interaction is situated within an interdependent structure of components such as the “feeling of belonging” and the feeling of “well-being” among adolescents. Conclusion The results expand the current state of knowledge regarding the theoretical differentiation of social participation by exploring subjective components of the term. This offers the possibility of supplementing the theoretical frameworks of social participation and supports the understanding of the critical importance of social participation for adolescents.

What does social participation mean? A qualitative study exploring the concept of participation from the perspectives of experts and parents

“…Compared with the youths’ perspectives, more similarities are found with the perspectives of the experts, who also tend to focus more on the subjective dimension of participation. While the parents tend to place more emphasis on the objective components, the adolescents themselves focus on their subjective and individual perceptions of participation in different life situations 32…”

“…Thereby, this research provides a foundation for the development of new measurement tools for adolescents in Germany to self-assess their social participation. In parallel, the perspective of adolescents was examined and published in a separate article 32. Adolescents describe social participation as involving reflexive interaction with their social environment.…”

“…Furthermore, forming a social environment plays an important role. All components of the concept are embedded in a context that influences the ways adolescents participate 32. However, interviewing parents and experts makes it possible to explore aspects that might remain hidden from the adolescents’ perspective.…”

Partizipation/Teilhabe von Jugendlichen mit kommunikativen Beeinträchtigungen

“…B. Eltern, Lehrkräfte, Peers) sowie der eigene Gesundheitszustand. Je nach der subjektiven Sichtweise der Jugendlichen können diese Faktoren als hemmend, unterstützend oder unwichtig empfunden werden [12]. Dies ist besonders wichtig, um soziale Partizipation/ Teilhabe sowohl präzise als auch individuell auf der Grundlage der Wünsche und Bedürfnisse der/des Einzelnen zu erfassen und das Ergebnis von Förder-und Therapieprozessen zu messen.…”

“…B. Eltern, Lehrkräfte, Peers) sowie der eigene Gesundheitszustand. Je nach der subjektiven Sichtweise der Jugendlichen können diese Faktoren als hemmend, unterstützend oder unwichtig empfunden werden 12 .…”