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Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic poses risks to the quality of life (QoL) of relatives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. This paper investigates relatives' QoL and associated risk and buffering factors before and during the pandemic. Method: Surveys were administered to three samples of relatives in the Netherlands in 2019 (N = 105) and during the first waves of COVID‐19 in June (N = 207) and October 2020 (N = 332). Associations between QoL and care burden, care competence, social support, and resilience, and changes over time were analysed using (logistic) regressions. Results: No significant changes in overall QoL nor its domains were found. Care burden was negatively associated with QoL and increased during the pandemic. Care competence was lower than in 2019. Competence, social support, and resilience were positively associated with QoL. Conclusions: Although relatives' QoL remained stable, the pandemic poses non‐negligible risks to their wellbeing. It is, therefore, crucial to provide relatives with adequate support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Welfare for the disabled is becoming an important issue in China and care for people with intellectual disability is challenging because of the inadequacies in formal support and the social service system. Material and Method Based on ethnographic research in two villages in North China, this paper analyses the dilemmas of family care for people with intellectual disability. The essential data is the ethnographic record of three cases. Results Rural families strive to provide care through a set of arrangements and bear tremendous stress in the process. Conclusion Family care for people with intellectual disability in rural China has been increasingly challenged by the forces of labour migration, demographic changes and the ever-growing processes of commoditization. The role of the state has to be strengthened in welfare provision to balance the weakened family care ethos in transforming societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research suggests parents' level of satisfaction with their child's school experience is highly variable. The present author explored school satisfaction in a Canadian sample of parents of children with severe and often complex developmental disabilities. Method: Parents of 185 children completed questionnaires regarding their satisfaction with nine aspects of their child's school experience. Satisfaction was examined in relation to child's age, diagnosis of Autism, adaptive level, and maladaptive behaviour; parents' mental health difficulties and perception of caring burden; and the child's classroom type and level of clinical services at school. Results: School satisfaction was unrelated to parents' mental health or burden scores, was related to child's adaptive and maladaptive behaviour, as well as type of classroom placement. Conclusions: It is important to understand what aspects of the school experience are influential for different children and families so that their experience can be optimized as far as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about how older parent caregivers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds experience caring for their family member with intellectual disability into late life. Method: In‐depth semi‐structured interviews were carried out with N = 19 family caregivers aged 50–91 from ten Italian and four Greek families. The Sociocultural Stress and Coping Model was used as a framework to interpret their experiences. Results: A number of stressors including the need to make sacrifices, physical and emotional demands, uncertain futures and challenges associated with "the system" were identified. While family members play a key role in providing support, changing values around filial responsibility were evident. Discussion: Further attention needs to be given to CALD families to address challenges associated with caring for their family member with intellectual disabilities as they age. This study also challenges assumptions that CALD families prefer to keep caring within the family long‐term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing long‐term care to an adult relative with intellectual disability can impact negatively on caregivers’ health and well‐being. Methods: Data were collected via online and postal questionnaires on 110 family carers’ physical and psychological health, family stress and perceived positive gains from caring. Psychological adaptation and carers’ satisfaction with available support were also examined. Results: Study participants reported more health problems than general populations. Higher support needs of care recipients were associated with increased family stress. Carers being female were associated with lower family stress. Older age and better socio‐economic position were associated with better psychological outcomes. Other associations were consistent with psychological adaption and perceived helpfulness of support buffering negative outcomes and facilitating positive gains from caring. Conclusions: Family carers of adults with intellectual disability appear to experience poorer health outcome than population norms. Adaption to the caregiving role may buffer negative outcomes. Further large scale, population‐based, longitudinal research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study examines the utility of Pearlin's caregiving stress model for understanding the caregiving satisfaction of elderly mothers of adult children with intellectual disability. Methods Mothers living in Seoul, Kyonggi, and Incheon who were 55 years of age or older and providing care for adult children with intellectual disability aged 18 or above were selected purposively from community rehabilitation centre users. A total of 392 participants responded to the survey. The structural equation modelling method was used to evaluate the suitability of the stress process model and to test the hypotheses. Results The stress model proved to be a good fit to the data. The results showed that a mediating variable - a problem-centred coping strategy - transmitted the effect of stress variables such as recognition of ageing, establishment of permanency planning, and worries about the future on caregiving satisfaction. The relationship of adult children with intellectual disability also transmitted the effect of establishment of permanency planning on caregiving satisfaction. However, an indirect effect of an emotion-centred coping strategy was not shown. Conclusions The findings of this study shed light on the development of intervention strategies for elderly mothers who provide care permanently to adult children with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]