Prospective Associations between Family-Based Social Capital, Wellbeing, and Emotional and Behavioral Problems amongst People with Mild Intellectual Disabilities: A Two-Wave Study

Introduction: Family members are often the main provider of informal support to people with mild intellectual disabilities. In the current study, we explored whether their family-based social capital is prospectively associated with their wellbeing and emotional and behavioral problems. Methods: Sixty-nine participants with mild intellectual disabilities and key (proxy reporting) staff members participated in two waves of data collection (T1, T2). Data were collected about family-based social capital (FNM-ID), subjective wellbeing (PWI-ID), and emotional and behavioral problems (ABCL, BPI-01). Results: People who reported less support provision to family members and more reciprocal family support relationships at T1 experienced higher levels of internalizing behavior problems at T2, after accounting for T1 levels of internalizing behavior problems. No other associations were found between earlier family-based social capital dimensions and psychological outcomes at T2. Conclusion: Our study provides initial insights regarding the prospective associations between the family-based social capital of people with mild intellectual disabilities and their wellbeing and emotional and behavioral problems. Future studies should include larger samples to investigate if our preliminary results are replicated.