Eudaimonic well-being in individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disability.
Adults with mild-moderate ID thrive when they feel accepted, can choose, and have purpose—so build these into every plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers talked with the adults who have mild or moderate intellectual disability.
They asked open questions about what makes life feel meaningful and good.
Each interview lasted about one hour and was recorded and coded for themes.
What they found
Six clear themes came up again and again.
The themes are: good relationships, feeling accepted, making choices, having a purpose, growing skills, and feeling hopeful.
Acceptance by others acted like a key that unlocked the other five themes.
How this fits with other research
Andrews et al. (2024) looked at teens with mild ID and found that self-determination, not just planning skills, drives quality of life.
This extends van Herwaarden et al. (2022) by showing the same lever—autonomy—matters across age groups.
Appelqvist-Schmidlechner et al. (2020) studied young adults with ASD or ADHD and also found social ties boost well-being, yet their sample scored lower overall.
The difference is not a clash; it shows that diagnosis and age change the baseline, not the levers you pull.
Kooijmans et al. (2024) showed that simplified self-report tools work better for adults with ID, backing the trustworthiness of the interviews used here.
Why it matters
You can now write support plans that target the six themes head-on.
Start by asking each client who makes them feel accepted, then build goals around those people.
Add choice-making chances, purposeful tasks, and skill growth steps every week.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one new goal that lets the client pick an activity with a trusted peer.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Subjective well-being research in individuals with intellectual disability (ID) has a large hedonic focus and eudaimonic well-being is understudied in this population. Knowledge on eudaimonic well-being of individuals with ID is however necessary to improve their experienced well-being and support them in leading meaningful and flourishing lives. AIMS: The current study adopted a qualitative design to examine whether and how people with ID experience elements of eudaimonic well-being. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Eleven adults with mild to moderate ID participated in individual semi-structured interviews about their subjective well-being. Interviews with their relatives and their direct support providers were conducted to contextualize the data. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: By means of an interpretative phenomenological analysis, social relationships, accomplishment, purpose and balance, individuality, autonomy, and growth could be identified as relevant elements of eudaimonic well-being. Eudaimonic well-being of individuals with ID seemed to be mediated by acceptance of others. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results provide insight in eudaimonic indicators of well-being, expanding the current view on well-being in individuals with ID. Efforts to use these elements in the care and support for individuals with ID are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104273