Anna Balcells-Balcells1, Climent Giné2, Joan Guàrdia-Olmos3, Jean Ann Summers4, Joana M Mas2. 1. Facultat de Psicologia, Ciències de l'Educació i de l'Esport, Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain. Electronic address: annabb0@blanquerna.url.edu. 2. Facultat de Psicologia, Ciències de l'Educació i de l'Esport, Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Spain. 3. Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Recerca en Cervell, Cognició i Conducta (IR3C), Spain. 4. Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In recent decades, Family Quality of Life (FQOL) has emerged as a decisive construct, both to improve the living conditions of the families of people with disabilities and to assess the results on the services and supports that they receive. The aim of this research is to determine the perception of the families regarding their support needs, the quality of their partnerships with professionals, and their FQOL and then identify to what extent the supports of early childhood intervention centers have a positive impact on the families' FQOL while exploring whether the family-professional partnership has become a fundamental intervening factor of FQOL. METHOD: The participants were 202 families with children aged 0-6 with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We used the structural equation model to analyze the influence that the adequacy of the supports and the partnerships exerted on FQOL. RESULTS: The results indicate that the families have language and speech support needs for their children and information needs for themselves, and that they are mostly satisfied with their partnerships with the professionals and their FQOL. Our results also indicate that their degree of satisfaction with the support was a good predictor of FQOL and their ratings of partnership quality was a key factor interceding on this effect. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides professionals and public institutions with guidance when designing plans to improve early childhood intervention centers so the quality of life of these families and the progress of children with disabilities living in Spain become progressively stronger.
BACKGROUND: In recent decades, Family Quality of Life (FQOL) has emerged as a decisive construct, both to improve the living conditions of the families of people with disabilities and to assess the results on the services and supports that they receive. The aim of this research is to determine the perception of the families regarding their support needs, the quality of their partnerships with professionals, and their FQOL and then identify to what extent the supports of early childhood intervention centers have a positive impact on the families' FQOL while exploring whether the family-professional partnership has become a fundamental intervening factor of FQOL. METHOD: The participants were 202 families with children aged 0-6 with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We used the structural equation model to analyze the influence that the adequacy of the supports and the partnerships exerted on FQOL. RESULTS: The results indicate that the families have language and speech support needs for their children and information needs for themselves, and that they are mostly satisfied with their partnerships with the professionals and their FQOL. Our results also indicate that their degree of satisfaction with the support was a good predictor of FQOL and their ratings of partnership quality was a key factor interceding on this effect. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides professionals and public institutions with guidance when designing plans to improve early childhood intervention centers so the quality of life of these families and the progress of children with disabilities living in Spain become progressively stronger.
Keywords:
Early childhood intervention; Family quality of life; Family support; Family-professional partnership; Intellectual disability; Structural equation model
Authors: Gabriel Martínez-Rico; Cecilia Simón; Margarita Cañadas; Robin Mcwilliam Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-02-11 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Alba Aza; María Gómez-Vela; Marta Badia; M Begoña Orgaz; Eva González-Ortega; Isabel Vicario-Molina; Estrella Montes-López Journal: Health Qual Life Outcomes Date: 2022-05-07 Impact factor: 3.077
Authors: Anna Balcells-Balcells; Joana M Mas; Natasha Baqués; Cecilia Simón; Simón García-Ventura Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-10-25 Impact factor: 3.390