The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health, wellbeing, and access to services of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Margaret Rosencrans, Paulina Arango, Camila Sabat and 4 others
PMID 34049229WHAT IT FOUND
More than half of caregivers in Chile and over 40% of adults with intellectual disabilities in the U.S. reported worsening mental health during the pandemic.
Loss of disability services and physical health problems were linked to increased mental health symptoms in the U.S. sample.
Key findings
01In the U.S., 41% of participants reported experiencing more mental health problems since the pandemic began.
02In Chile, 51.6% of the sample reported increased mental health problems.
03Participants in the U.S. who were no longer receiving disability services were more likely to report increased mental health symptoms.
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 methodologies differed between countries (self-report in the U.S. vs. caregiver report in Chile), preventing direct comparison. IDD status was self-reported and not verified. The U.S. sample was recruited through disability agencies, potentially excluding those not already receiving services. The study did not include a control group of adults without IDD.
Declared interests
Some authors were supported by the ANID Millennium Science Initiative. The authors declared no financial or personal relationships that may bias the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the Chilean results reflect the experience of adults with IDD directly, as only caregivers reported on their behalf. The higher reported symptoms in Chile may reflect caregiver observation rather than self-reported distress, and the two countries cannot be directly compared.