Resiliency in adolescents with intellectual impairment

Abstract

Our empirical research was aimed at gaining insight into individual features of resiliency in adolescents with intellectual impairment and determining eventual differences between the individuals due to different socio-demographic characteristics. The research was conducted in four Belgrade schools for students with intellectual impairment. The sample comprised 100 students with mild intellectual impairment aged 13 to 20 and included both sexes. The data were collected by the use of the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (Prince-Embury, 2007). The results suggest that the adolescents with intellectual impairment have underdeveloped sense of governing and control over life events, averagely developed sense of relatedness with others and high emotional responsiveness. The revealed differences according to sociodemographic characteristics show somewhat higher resiliency in boys compared to girls, in adolescents of other nationalities compared to Serbian adolescents, and in adolescents who live in children's homes compared to those who live with their families.

Empirijsko istraživanje imalo je za cilj sticanje uvida u individualne kvalitete rezilijentnosti adolescenata s intelektualnom ometenošću, kao i ispitivanje razlika koje u ctom pogledu postoje među adolescentima sa različitim sociodemografskim karakteristikama. Istraživanje je rađeno u četiri beogradske škole za učenike s intelektualnom ometenošću. Uzorak istraživanja čini 100 učenika sa lakom intelektualnom ometenošću oba pola, uzrasta od 13 do 20 godina. Podaci su prikupljeni primenom Skale rezilijentnosti za decu i adolescente (Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents) (Prince-Embury, 2007). Rezultati istraživanja sugerišu da adolescenti s intelektualnom ometenošću imaju slabije razvijeno osećanje upravljanja i kontrole nad životnim događajima, prosečno razvijeno osećanje povezanosti sa drugima i povišenu emocionalnu reaktivnost. Otkrivene razlike među ispitanicima sa različitim sociodemografskim karakteristikama idu u pravcu veće rezilijentnosti momaka u odnosu na devojke, adolescenata drugih nacionalnosti u odnosu na adolescente srpske nacionalnosti i adolescenata koji žive u domu u odnosu na one koji žive u porodici.