Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Elizabeth Matthews

Abstract

There is much research literature on quality of life with people with varying mild to moderate levels of developmental and intellectual disabilities. A gap remained in the current literature regarding differences between the severe to profound levels of intellectual and developmental disability across residential settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of support of people with severe to profound levels of developmental disabilities who resided and received services either in an institution and those who receive services within the community. The theoretical foundation for this study was Maslow's theory of humanism along with the contemporary theory of quality of life. Using a quantitative research design, the Support Intensity Scale (SIS) was administered to a convenience sample of 60 adults who receive supports while residing in the community and 60 adults who receive supports and reside in an institution in the southeast U.S. The data was analyzed using 1-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) on the SIS subtest scores. Although the levels of support for the basic needs were not statistically different between the 2 residential settings, there was a significant difference in the need for medical and/or behavioral needs. The findings of this study promoted social change as these differences can be presented as part of the individualized needs assessment to prevent Reinstitutionalization of these stakeholders.

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