Page 60 - Social networks of people with mild intellectual disabilities: characteristics and interventions
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Chapter 3
3.3 Results
In the following, the satisfaction and wishes of the 33 participants with regard to their social networks will first be summarized. Thereafter, the associations between, on the one hand, the structural and functional characteristics of the social networks and, on the other hand, their satisfaction with the social networks and perceived QOL will be presented.
3.3.1 Satisfaction and wishes with respect to social networks
In Table 1, the degrees of satisfaction of the participants with respect to their social networks in general, but also to family members, acquaintances and professionals in their social networks in particular, are presented. Scores of 1 and 2 from the five-point scale were summed as indicators of ‘dissatisfied’. Scores of 4 and 5 from the five-point scale were summed as indicators of ‘satisfied’. Of the 33 participants in the present study, 73.1% responded that they were satisfied with their social network; 26.9% responded that they were neutral or dissatisfied.
Table 1 Satisfaction with the social network (%)
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Network total (n = 26) Family (n = 28) Acquaintances (n = 27) Professionals (n = 27)
3.8 23.1 73.1 7.1 25.0 67.9 7.4 14.8 77.7
11.1 7.4 81.5
In Table 2, the wishes of the participants with regard to their social networks are summarized. The wishes were indicated in response to the open-ended question ‘What would make your network one step higher?’, which was asked with regard to the total social network, family, acquaintances and professionals. With regard to the total network, a desire for better contact was most often indicated (25.0% of the participants). This category refers to having similar interests, wanting nicer contact and or being taken more seriously. According to one participant:
I wish I could trust people more. I am buggered around very often. So I don’t really trust people. ... They should not promise things, if they are not able to keep their promises.
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