ABSTRACT
Objective
To investigate the family quality of life (FQoL) among Brazilian families who have children with moderate intellectual disability (ID).
Methods
A cross-sectional study was carried out with 50 families who have children with moderate DI from São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected by questionnaires including sociodemographic information, Barthel and Lawton & Brody functional indexes, and the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale.
Results
The domains “family interaction” (r = 0.870; p < 0.001) and “parenting” (r = 0.845; p < 0.001) were more strongly correlated with the total FQoL. There were no differences in the distribution of FQoL according to the sociodemographic variables investigated. A moderate (r = 0.326) and significant (p = 0.021) correlation was observed between the Lawton and Brody functional index and the FQoL. The adjusted linear regression model explained 10.6% of the variability found in the FQoL (p = 0.021) and showed that the increase of one point in the Lawton and Brody index represented an increase of 0.092 in the FQoL.
Conclusion
The FQoL of the families investigated is below other international samples. Clinical actions that strengthen dialogue and family cohesion, and the construction of an individualized therapeutic plan can be effective ways to help these families.
Intellectual disability; family quality of life; family relations; Brazil