Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2011
DOI
10.5507/epd.2011.053
Publication Title
e-Pedagogium
Volume
11
Issue
4
Pages
102-119
Abstract
Caregivers of individuals with disabilities in the United States have been reported to experience additional hardships than families with typical children as they attempt to balance family and work (Parish, Rose, Grinstein-Weiss, Richman, & Andrews, 2008). In this study, 31 caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities from the United States and 225 from the Czech Republic completed a qualitative quality of life survey. Similarities in the two groups were found in reported gains and losses from caregiving responsibilities. Differences in perceived spirituality, personal sense of peace and serenity, life optimism, ability to rejoice in life, personal life perspective, health, financial changes, changes in family social life, feelings of enrichment, family caregiving responsibilities, and attitudes about the future were also revealed. The implications for supporting families through governmental programs and individualized services are discussed.
Rights
© The Authors 2011.
Published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License.
Original Publication Citation
Valenta, M., Michalík, J., Raver-Lampman, S., & Michalek, A. (2011). Quality of life perceptions of caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities in the United States and the Czech Republic. e-Pedagogium, 11(4), 102-119. https://doi.org/10.5507/epd.2011.053
Repository Citation
Valenta, Milan; Michalík, Jan; Raver-Lampman, Sharon; and Michalek, Anne, "Quality of Life Perceptions of Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in the United States and the Czech Republic" (2011). Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications. 190.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/hms_fac_pubs/190