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The experience of adult children of mothers with intellectual disability: A qualitative retrospective study from Poland
Author(s) -
WołowiczRuszkowska Agnieszka,
McConnell David
Publication year - 2017
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.12322
Subject(s) - intellectual disability , developmental psychology , perspective (graphical) , psychology , context (archaeology) , grounded theory , qualitative research , constructivist grounded theory , sociology , psychiatry , social science , paleontology , artificial intelligence , computer science , biology
Background Little is known about the experience of growing up with a mother with intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to explore this experience from the perspective of adult children. Method In‐depth interviews with 23 adult children brought up by mothers with moderate‐to‐severe intellectual disability. The interview data were analysed using grounded theory methods. Results The childhood experiences of the interviewees and the role their mothers played in their upbringing varied, depending in part on the involvement of extended family. It was the stigma of maternal intellectual disability, rather than their mother's functional limitations, that posed the greatest challenge. Conclusion Interviewees characterized their mothers and childhoods as different, yet ordinary. Understanding the social context, including but not limited to the availability of informal support, is critical to understanding the experience of children growing up with mothers with intellectual disability.