Work

Evidence for Reciprocal Interaction Effects Among Adults with Self-Injury and Their Caregivers

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Patterns of caregiver responses to client adaptive behavior were compared between adults with intellectual disabilities with and without self-injurious behavior. Participants with moderate to profound intellectual disability and self-injury (n=89) and age/IQ matched control participants (n=20) were selected from a large sample of adults living in a regional residential center. Approximately 45 minutes of direct observation data were collected for each participant during unstructured leisure time. Data were sequentially analyzed and Yule's Q scores derived and compared among groups. Results indicated that caregivers were more responsive to prosocial initiations and adaptive engagement among individuals with severe self-injurious behavior than to those with mild or no self-injurious behavior and that these responses were more likely to be in the form of a demand.

Source: American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-117.3.225

Authors: Jason J. Wolff, Jamie Clary, Vickie N. Harper, James W. Bodfish, Frank J. Symons

Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, University of Minnesota

Language: English

Topic: Behavioral and Psychological Studies

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health