Factors associated with self-concept: adolescents with intellectual and development disabilities share their perspectives.
Parent support and money predict teen self-worth better than disability labels.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jones (2012) asked teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities what shapes how they feel about themselves.
The team mixed open interviews with short surveys. Kids talked. Parents answered questions about support and money.
What they found
Two things stood out. Teens who felt backed by their parents liked themselves more. Families with higher income also boosted teen self-worth.
When the teens spoke, they repeated negative labels society gives disability. The numbers, however, said family life mattered more than those labels.
How this fits with other research
Samadi et al. (2012) reviewed 37 studies and found stigma hurts wellbeing. Jones (2012) agrees stigma is loud, yet shows family support can still win.
Werner (2015) showed adults give fewer rights to people with intellectual disability. Jones (2012) flips the lens: teens feel worthier when parents back them, even if the public does not.
Petrovic et al. (2016) caught high-schoolers using the r-word often. Jones (2012) shows the same teens may carry that label inside, but parent support shields self-worth.
Why it matters
You can’t erase every slur a teen hears, but you can coach parents. Run short parent training on praise, listening, and joint activities. Track teen mood before and after. More parent warmth, stronger self-concept.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
How one perceives the self is critical to long-term development. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceptions of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants included 51 adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their parents (n = 50), and teachers (n = 12). A mixed-methods design was used. Qualitative interviews revealed that although 55% of participants self-identified as having a disability, there was a lack of constructive or affirmative language used to describe disability. Overall, adolescents' understanding of disability appeared to be grounded in a deficit model. Quantitative analyses were used to explore demographic variables, adolescent' perception of parent support, and self-determination as possible predictors of global self-worth and social acceptance. Results indicate that family income and parent support are particularly salient for this population.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-50.1.31