Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Supported Employment: a Route to Social Networks

Supported Employment: a Route to Social Networks Background Evidence suggests that social networks mediate social functioning, self‐esteem, mental health and quality of life. This paper presents findings concerning changes in the social lives, skills, behaviour and life experiences of a group of people with intellectual disabilities (n = 18), who gained support from an employment agency to find paid work. Method The composition and quality of individuals’ social networks were mapped using a Social Network Guide. Changes in skills, behaviour and life experiences were assessed using standardized measures. Results The social network size of participants increased over time, with most social contacts being drawn from community contexts. This linked to improvements in life experiences, particularly in relation to leisure activities. Some improvements in adaptive behaviour were also found over time but no significant relationship between social network size and changes in adaptive behaviour were evident. Conclusions Whilst work will not guarantee social relationships, it can help maintain network size and provides a good opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to meet others who are not associated with intellectual disability services. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities Wiley

Loading next page...
 
/lp/wiley/supported-employment-a-route-to-social-networks-hvQWvi0KJv

References (23)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
1360-2322
eISSN
1468-3148
DOI
10.1111/j.1468-3148.2004.00199.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Background Evidence suggests that social networks mediate social functioning, self‐esteem, mental health and quality of life. This paper presents findings concerning changes in the social lives, skills, behaviour and life experiences of a group of people with intellectual disabilities (n = 18), who gained support from an employment agency to find paid work. Method The composition and quality of individuals’ social networks were mapped using a Social Network Guide. Changes in skills, behaviour and life experiences were assessed using standardized measures. Results The social network size of participants increased over time, with most social contacts being drawn from community contexts. This linked to improvements in life experiences, particularly in relation to leisure activities. Some improvements in adaptive behaviour were also found over time but no significant relationship between social network size and changes in adaptive behaviour were evident. Conclusions Whilst work will not guarantee social relationships, it can help maintain network size and provides a good opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to meet others who are not associated with intellectual disability services.

Journal

Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual DisabilitiesWiley

Published: Sep 1, 2004

There are no references for this article.