Premium
Surprisingly complex life: S ue L eung's story
Author(s) -
Prendergast Gerard,
Ma Savini,
Tsui Yan Ming Elizabeth
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
asia‐pacific psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1758-5872
pISSN - 1758-5864
DOI - 10.1111/appy.12121
Subject(s) - insider , context (archaeology) , psychology , narrative , face (sociological concept) , goodwill , perspective (graphical) , gender studies , sociology , history , social science , political science , literature , visual arts , law , art , archaeology , finance , economics
Abstract Introduction While numerous studies relating to the lives of intellectually challenged people have been published previously, most have been from the caregiver's perspective and lack an insider's view. In addition, none of them were conducted in a C hinese context. Our purpose is to fill this gap by studying the life of S ue L eung, an intellectually disabled C hinese woman in H ong K ong. Methods Using a narrative approach that combined interviews and observational data collected over an extended time period, the research sought a holistic understanding of her life, how she interacts with others and the challenges and difficulties she faces. Results S ue L eung's life proved to be complex with social, spiritual, psychological, sexual and financial dimensions. Her story, in which she herself and other mentally impaired people are the actors, reflects to some degree the world of mentally impaired people, at least in H ong K ong. Their world is just as complex as that of anyone else. Violence, dangers, romances, friendships and goodwill also exist in that world. Discussion S ue L eung's story has helped to unravel the various dimensions of her life and enabled a deeper understanding of the challenges and difficulties a mildly intellectually disabled woman has to face in her life in H ong K ong. Social implications are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research.