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How Do People Described as having a Learning Disability Make Sense of Friendship?
Author(s) -
Mason Paul,
Timms Ken,
Hayburn Tracey,
Watters Camilla
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12001
Subject(s) - friendship , loneliness , psychology , learning disability , developmental psychology , superordinate goals , autonomy , social psychology , interpersonal relationship , political science , law
Background For many people with learning disabilities, friendships can be limited or restricted, with loneliness being a significant problem. Although much research has been undertaken exploring these issues, little attention has been given to what people with learning disabilities themselves have to say about friendship. The aim of this study is to explore how adults with learning disabilities make sense of ‘friendship’ and their associated experiences. Materials and Methods Eleven participants took part in this study. Ages ranged from between 24 and 62 years (mean = 42). All participants were interviewed on a one‐to‐one basis, with interviews following a semi‐structured format. Interpretative P henomenological A nalysis was used to analyse the interview data. Results Four superordinate themes were identified: the significance of friendship, the effects of friendship on well‐being, power dynamics and autonomy. Conclusions In the social lives of people with learning disabilities, friendships have an important role. Other relationships also have significance. Greater efforts are required to support people with learning disabilities to be able to maintain friendships and follow social pursuits of their own choosing.