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Adaptive Behaviour in Children and Adolescents With and Without an Intellectual Disability: Relationships with Fear and Anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Eleonora Gullone ,
Robert A. Cummins  and
Neville J. King
Eleonora Gullone*
Affiliation:
Monash University
Robert A. Cummins
Affiliation:
Deakin University
Neville J. King
Affiliation:
Monash University
*
Department of Psychology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Prior research has indicated that people with an intellectual disability experience higher levels of negative affect, including anxiety and fearfulness, than people who are not disabled. This is important because research has also suggested a negative relationship between emotional distress and adaptive behaviour, albeit in nondisabled populations. The present study investigates the relationships between fear, anxiety, and adaptive behaviour in children and adolescents with an intellectual disability as compared to youth of average intelligence. A sample ranging in age from 7 to 18 years participated in the study. Fifty-one respondents (30 male, 21 female) constituted the intellectually disabled sample, and 57 (28 male, 29 female) constituted the comparison group. Analysis revealed higher levels of fear and anxiety among the group with disabilities. An inverse relationship was also found between negative affect and adaptive behaviour among the youth with disabilities, but not for youth of average intelligence. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for intervention programs.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 1995 , pp. 227 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1995

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