Measuring emotional support in family networks: Adapting the Family Network Method for individuals with a mild intellectual disability.
Sanne A H Giesbers, Tess Tournier, Lex Hendriks and 3 others
PMID 30004149WHAT IT FOUND
Simplified questions, cards and boxes were added to help people with mild intellectual disability describe family emotional support.
Pilots showed multiple support types were too complex, and moderate intellectual disability remained challenging.
Key findings
01The interview was narrowed to emotional support because asking about multiple support dimensions was overly complex and time demanding for pilot participants.
02The adapted method remained too complex for participants with moderate intellectual disability, especially when they had to take another family member's perspective.
03Two illustrative cases showed different family network patterns, including a small network with no reciprocal support and a larger network with multiple reciprocal emotional relationships.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used only two pilot samples totalling 19 participants, including 16 with mild intellectual disability and 3 with moderate intellectual disability. No reliability or validity statistics are reported in the supplied text. The instrument remained too complex for participants with moderate intellectual disability, especially when they had to take another family member's perspective. Interview length varied from 15 minutes to two hours, depending on the number of family members listed and participant understanding. The illustrative cases describe Bob and Mary only, so they do not establish typical family network patterns. The paper does not test whether using the FNM-ID changes support, participation or well-being.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest. No funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the adapted interview as a validated clinical measure or as evidence that family support improves participation or well-being. The paper reports pilot procedures and two illustrative cases, not tested outcomes.