Background: Sleep is an important physiological need for children with intellectual disabilities and their mothers. The present study aims to obtain detailed information on the factors that are hindering and facilitating the sleep quality of children with intellectual disabilities and their mothers. Method: Twenty-one mothers of children with…

Background: People with intellectual disabilities face increased levels of psychological distress compared with the general population and broadly present with fewer coping strategies. There is emerging evidence of the positive effectiveness of mindfulness in the treatment of various mental health issues such as depression and anxiety amongst…

Background: The main assumption of narrative therapy is that people are the "experts" on their own lives. When working with people with a learning disability, it can often be the case that the client's voice is not the primary voice. This is due to the fact that others "hold" the story for the client. When the story is,…

Background: Not enough is currently known about how people with learning disabilities experience and understand the ageing process. This is particularly important as the population of older people with learning disabilities is growing due to increased life expectancy. This article draws on the first author's doctoral research study, which aimed to…

Self-efficacy has been reported to play a significant role in stress levels of parents facing challenging behaviours of their children with learning disabilities. The role of self-efficacy has also been found to affect the stress levels of professional caregivers in such situations. To understand the implications of staff self-efficacy in…

Despite recurring concerns about the role and appropriate support of informal carers, little is known about the parental experience of caring for children with learning disabilities in Ireland. This study describes and analyses the nature and consequences of care and coping among parents of children (fewer than 16) with learning disabilities…