Article Text
PDF
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Commentary on: Jackson, I., Dagnan, D., Golding, L., & Rayner-Smith, K. (2024). How do people with intellectual disabilities understand friendship? A systematic meta-synthesis. JARID, 37(4), e13244.
Implications for practice and research
People with intellectual disabilities value friendship and actively engage in reciprocal exchanges.
People with intellectual disabilities seek and use opportunities for structured support and organised activities to access and manage friendships.
Context
A previous study1 found a correlation between participation in social networks and positive outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities, including increased self-esteem, self-confidence and mental well-being. However, individuals with intellectual disabilities have been found to experience high rates of loneliness and severe difficulties in forming and maintaining friendships.2 Previous research has explored the subjective experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in both romantic and friendship relationships. However, it …
Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.