PTOTSLPSurveyJournal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID2026

Factors Associated With Social Inclusion and Labour Status in People With Intellectual Disabilities, From Urban and Rural Areas of Peru.

Alicia Boluarte Carbajal, Gina Chávez-Ventura, Sebastian Enrique Lezcano De La Cruz and 1 others

PMID 41707054

WHAT IT FOUND

Having a job linked to better social inclusion, while caregiver burden and older age linked to worse.

Self-determination and verbal communication predicted employment. Urban participants had higher social inclusion than rural, but unemployment rates were high in both regions.

Key findings

01Social participation was higher in urban Lima than in rural San Martin, with a moderate difference of 0.408 standard deviations.

02Self-determination was the strongest predictor of work status, followed by verbal communication and social participation.

03Higher caregiver burden predicted lower social participation, while having a job and being younger predicted higher social participation.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs

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What it does not show

The cross-sectional design means the study shows associations, not causation; we cannot know if self-determination leads to employment or if employment fosters self-determination. Non-probability purposive sampling limits the generalizability of the findings to all people with intellectual disabilities in Peru. The positive association between comorbidity and employment is likely a confounding artifact because a significant portion of employed participants came from a specific supported employment center (Ann Sullivan Center) that serves individuals with complex needs. The study did not control for the type of employment or the specific educational background received, which could influence both social inclusion and work status.

Declared interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Council of Science and Technology in Peru.

The easy way to misread this

Do not interpret the positive association between comorbidity and employment as evidence that having additional health conditions helps people find work. The authors explain this is likely a confounding factor because many employed participants were recruited from a specific supported employment center that actively hires people with complex needs.

Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →