Evaluating the self-determination continuum towards seeking support among people with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities.
N Frielink, C Schuengel, P J C M Embregts
PMID 33569870WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities mostly sought support because it helped them or fit their values.
Finding support personally useful was linked to higher life satisfaction; feeling no motivation was linked to lower life satisfaction.
Key findings
01On a 1 to 5 scale, participants most agreed that support helped them solve problems (mean 3.97) and fit who they are (mean 3.81); they least agreed that they had no motivation (mean 1.88) or that they sought support because other people thought they should (mean 2.13).
02Higher life satisfaction was associated with higher intrinsic and identified motivation scores, and lower life satisfaction was associated with higher amotivation and introjected motivation scores.
03The revised questionnaire separated reasons for seeking support into the full motivation spectrum, but the model fit did not fully meet all standards.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that motivation for support causes well-being or that well-being causes motivation. The model fit did not fully meet all recommended cut-offs, and no separate cross-validation sample was available. The repeat-test reliability was based on only 30 participants. Mild intellectual disability and borderline intellectual functioning were not analysed separately because the subgroup sizes were too small. Nonresponse was substantial and no demographics were available for nonparticipants, so participants may differ from people who declined. The findings apply to seeking professional support, not to motivation in other life domains.
Declared interests
Funded by ZonMw and RINO Zuid. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 56.6% of life-satisfaction differences linked to motivation scores as proof that motivation causes better well-being. The study measured motivation and life satisfaction at the same time, so it cannot show which came first.