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Families of children with disabilities may experience mental health problems, feelings of emotional isolation or parental role incompetence. Early intervention (ECI) acts through Family-Centred Practices (FCP) to support child development and, at the same time, strengthen family capacities and inclusion. The aim of the study is to analyse the level of empowerment and the level of anxiety and depression of family members during the reception and assessment phase in ECI services in the Balearic Islands (Spain). The design is non-experimental cross-sectional with a mixed methodology. In the quantitative phase, information was collected from 135 relatives (78.5% women, 21.5% men) using three questionnaires. In the qualitative phase, information was collected through five focus groups with 30 participants (56.7% women, 43.3% men). The main results show that family members report higher levels of family empowerment compared to the service system or to community-policy empowerment. The findings showed greater levels of anxiety than depression, feelings of despair, uncertainty or exhaustion where also detected. Professional support contributes to improved socio-emotional well-being. Professionals are encouraged to identify the level of family empowerment and initial emotional well-being to enhance the quality of the intervention.

Background: In this study we aimed to develop a Spanish version of the Self-Efficacy/Social Support Scales for Activity for persons with Intellectual Disability (SE/SS-AID). Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 117 individuals with intellectual disability (ID). The SE/SS-AID scales were translated into Spanish and their psychometric properties analysed. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.94 for the SE-AID and 0.95 for the SS-AID), but RMSEA values outside of the optimal fit range (0.28 and 0.15, respectively). Cronbach's alpha was calculated for the SE-AID, SS-AID-family, SS-AID-staff, and SS-AID-peers scales, with results from 0.80 to 0.82. Conclusions: The scales show acceptable validity and reliability evidence. Use of this instrument will allow researchers to gain more knowledge about how personal and social factors influence participation in physical activity in Spanish-speaking people with ID.

Neuromuscular and aerobic capacity can be reduced in people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Previous studies suggest these individuals might be particularly susceptible to losing basic functions because of poor physical fitness. The aim of this study is to describe the physical fitness profile of adult athletes with ID and identify whether there are differences in the physical performance between the most physically active individuals and less active individuals. A cross-sectional observational study was developed involving 266 athletes with mild ID (187 males and 79 females), recruited from the Spanish Special Olympics Games. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the health status of participants and their frequency of physical activity practice. A battery of 13 fitness tests was applied to assess flexibility, strength/endurance, balance and cardiovascular capabilities. Of the total participants, 44.3% were classified as sportspersons and the remainder as non sportspersons, taking in consideration the frequency of physical activity. Regarding the scores, a significant difference was found in degrees of flexibility between genders, higher for females for one test but higher for males in the other three. A significant difference was not encountered between other variables of physical fitness, although the men's scores were higher in strength/endurance and balance. When the scores of the sportspersons and non sportspersons groups were compared, no significant difference was found between the two, with the exception of one test for flexibility. Differences among groups and gender were not statistically significant in most of the tests. The findings in this study illustrate an unclear and inconclusive relation between the scores and the declared level of physical activity, maybe due to the context in which participants for the study were selected. (Contains 2 tables.)