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Quality of Life in Flemish Families with a Child with an Intellectual Disability: a Multilevel Study on Opinions of Family Members and the Impact of Family Member and Family Characteristics

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Abstract

This study examined family members’ opinions regarding their family quality of life (FQOL). Parents (n = 97) and youngsters (n = 24) of 63 families with a child with an intellectual disability (ID) receiving home-based support completed the Beach Center FQOL Scale. Multilevel models detected substantial variability in FQOL scores and in most subscale scores both within and between families. The observed differences were partly explained by the respondent’s age, the parents’ employment situation, and the support needs of the child with an ID. Role of the family member and gender of the parent could not explain this variability. By including and comparing multiple family members’ opinions, this study contributes to the methodological and conceptual discussions about measuring FQOL.

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Notes

  1. Estimation based on data about education for children with an ID in Flanders (Petry 2015), the group of children who are not under public education law because of their disability (Maes 2015a), the group of children with an ID beneath school age (Kind en gezin 2015; Maes 2015b), and the different types of support for children with disabilities in Flanders (Maes et al. 2015).

  2. Estimation based on the forms completed by the services for HBS during the selection procedure.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Elise Neven and Sandra McElroy for the translation of the Beach Center FQOL Scale. Many thanks to Ines van Keer for the assistance during the data-entry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Vanderkelenstraat 32, box 3765, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Lien Vanderkerken & Bea Maes

  2. Humanities and Social Sciences Research Coordination, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Mieke Heyvaert

  3. Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Methodology of Educational Sciences Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Patrick Onghena

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  1. Lien Vanderkerken
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Correspondence to Lien Vanderkerken.

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This research was funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).

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Received ethical approval by the social and societal ethics committee of the KU Leuven (SMEC).

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Vanderkerken, L., Heyvaert, M., Onghena, P. et al. Quality of Life in Flemish Families with a Child with an Intellectual Disability: a Multilevel Study on Opinions of Family Members and the Impact of Family Member and Family Characteristics. Applied Research Quality Life 13, 779–802 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9558-z

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