Page 61 - Social networks of people with mild intellectual disabilities: characteristics and interventions

Table 2 Wishes with respect to social networks (%)
Network Characteristics, Satisfaction, Wishes and Quality of Life
Of the participants, 16.7% indicated a wish with regard to social skills (e.g. learn to take more initiative, learn how to deal with others, learn how to enter more easily into new contacts) and 12.5% indicated that they would like more frequent contact with members of their network. One participant said:
I wish I had more often contact with my godfather. ... It is a pity to see him only on birthdays.
Only one participant wished to expand his/her network by meeting new people.
A large number of the participants reported having no specific wishes. Either 3 they were already satisfied (20.8%) or they could not come up with something
during the interview, found the question too difficult to answer or thought that
real change was not possible (12.5%). In the words of one participant:
It is not possible to put my network a step ahead. It is as it is.
No response was noted for nine of the participants. When the wishes of the participants are examined with regard to family, acquaintances and professionals, it is remarkable that they would like more frequent contact with their family (35.7%) compared with acquaintances (16.0%) and professionals (16.7%). They would like to have better contact with acquaintances (32.0%) and professionals (25.0%). And they would like to improve their social skills with acquaintances (20.0%).
Wishes
Total network (n = 24)
Family network (n = 28)
Acquaintances network
(n = 25)
Professionals network
(n = 24)
More frequent contact Better contact Expanded network Improved social skills No wish
Other wishes
12.5 35.7 25.0 10.7 4.2 3.6 16.7 7.1 33.3 28.6 8.3 14.3
16.0 16.7 32.0 25.0 0.0 4.2 20.0 0.0 28.0 37.5 4.0 16.7
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