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In pursuit of meaningful occupation: Employment and occupational outcomes for older Irish adults with an intellectual disability
Author(s) -
McCausland Darren,
McCallion Philip,
Brennan Damien,
McCarron Mary
Publication year - 2020
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.12681
Subject(s) - intellectual disability , psychology , poverty , welfare , irish , medical model of disability , activities of daily living , social exclusion , gerontology , developmental psychology , medicine , psychiatry , political science , economic growth , economics , linguistics , philosophy , law
Background Adults with an intellectual disability (ID) have much lower rates of employment than their counterparts without intellectual disability, which increases their risk of poverty and social exclusion. Differential treatment of people with intellectual disability in welfare and training policies suggests an expectation they will be passive welfare recipients rather than productive employees. Methods This paper aims to examine occupational activities by older people with intellectual disability in Ireland, exploring factors influencing outcomes using data from the IDS‐TILDA study ( n = 708). Results Most people were unemployed but engaged in regular occupational activity. Occupational activity was associated with better emotional/mental health. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) functioning was associated with an active occupational status, while social supports most strongly predicted high occupational engagement across a range of activities. Conclusions A focus on the individual meaning derived from a broad range of engagement may better support people with intellectual disabilities to benefit from regular occupational activity.