Social Participation and HRQoL with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Mediation by Everyday Living Capabilities

TL;DR

The study explores how social participation affects the quality of life for adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities, finding that everyday living capabilities play a key role.

Contribution

The paper introduces new evidence on how everyday living capabilities mediate the relationship between social participation and HRQoL in adults with NDDs.

Findings

For autistic adults, social participation directly and indirectly influences HRQoL through everyday living capabilities.

For adults with intellectual disability, everyday living capabilities fully mediate the effect of social participation on HRQoL.

Abstract

Social participation is a key determinant of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs), yet their social participation for HRQoL in everyday living remains unknown. This study investigated and social participation HRQoL relationship, with everyday living capabilities as a mediator.

The of 304 adults with NDDs (females = 83.3%; age range 18 to 69 years old). completed standardized social participation, Health related quality of life (HRQoL) and everyday capabilities measures. Multi-group path analysis was employed to examine self-perceived everyday living capabilities meditation of the association between social participation and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) across the two groups.

For adult autistics, both the indirect effect (β = .170, 95% CI [.071, .179]) and the direct effect of social participation on HRQoL (β = .177, 95% CI [.040, .221]) were significant, indicating partial mediation of capabilities. For adults with intellectual disability, the direct effect of social participation on HRQoL was nonsignificant (β = .174, 95% CI [–.012, .224]), indicating full mediation.

These results underscore the importance of personal factors in the HRQoL of adults with NDDs. By implication, policy and program development initiatives should improve everyday living needs for the improved quality of life for this population.