Widmer,E.,D. and Kempf,N. Lanzi,F. and Robert-Tissot,C. and Galli-Carminati,G. (2008). How central and connected am I in my Family? Family based social capital of individuals with intellectual disability. Research in Developmental Disabilities, vol. 29, n° 2, pp. 176-187.
Using social network methods, this article explores the ways in which individuals with intellectual
disability (ID) perceive their family contexts and the social capital that they provide. Based on a subsample
of 24 individuals with ID, a subsample of 24 individuals with ID and psychiatric disorders, and a control sample of 24 pre-graduate and postgraduate students matched to the clinical respondents for age and sex, we
found that family networks of clinical individuals are distinct both in terms of composition and in terms of
social capital made available to them by their family ties. Individuals with ID perceive themselves as less
central in their own family; their family networks are perceived as less dense, less centralized, and more disconnected. Individuals with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders have less family-based social capital than individuals with intellectual disabilities only. The composition of their family is also distinct as spouses or partners and children are missing. We discuss the importance of those ?ndings for research on family relationships of individuals with ID.
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