Predictors of Resilience in Families of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Following Deinstitutionalization

Abstract

The current study utilized the family resilience model (Henry, Morris, & Harrist, 2015) to examine the relationship between empowerment, family member age, family relative number of years institutionalized, and resilience in families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in order to better understand factors that contribute to family adaptation during transition. Using a sample of 56 family members whose relative with intellectual and developmental disabilities recently experienced state-mandated deinstitutionalization in Oklahoma, three research questions were examined: How are family empowerment and family resilience related; how are family member age and family relative number of years institutionalized related to family resilience; and do demographic variables moderate the relationship between family empowerment and family resilience? The results indicate family empowerment, a hypothesized protective factor, was a significant predictor of family resilience. Additionally, results show family resilience was not predicted by either family demographic variable, nor was there any significant association, positive or negative, between these hypothesized vulnerability factors and family resilience. These results suggest that family empowerment may be a crucial mechanism through which overall positive family adaptation is achieved for families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Implications of these findings for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.