Page 63 - Social networks of people with mild intellectual disabilities: characteristics and interventions

Network Characteristics, Satisfaction, Wishes and Quality of Life
Table 3 Pearson correlations for characteristics of social networks with satisfaction and QOL
Satisfaction
QOL
r
p
r
p
Structural characteristics Size
Frequency Face-to-Face Frequency Telephone Frequency Internet Lengtha
Accessibilityb Functional characteristics
Affection
Connection
Preference Practical/Informational support
.428* .023 .100 .613 .380* .046 .257 .214 .138 .484 .410* .030
.152 .441 .065 .741 .301 .120
-.100 .611
.131 .466
.348* .047 -.083 .645 -.245 .192 -.049 .787
.217 .225 .576*** .000
.320 .070 3 .460** .007
.355* .043
a Only for acquaintances and professionals; b Only for family and acquaintances; *p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p < .001.
Analysis of the characteristics of the social networks in relation to the participants’ perceived QOL showed affection to be the most strong predictor (p < .001). Further exploration revealed that QOL was specifically related with affection assigned to family and professionals, respectively, r = .493, p = .004 and r = .624, p < .001. In addition, the analysis of the associations between the characteristics of the participants’ social networks and their perceived QOL showed both preference and practical/informational support to be also significantly related to QOL (p < .05). When the participants had a higher preference for contact with family and professionals in the social network, their reported QOL was also higher (r = .390, p = .027 and r = .437, p = .014 respectively). Practical and informational support from family members was also important for perceived QOL, r = .510, p = .003. Finally, the frequency of face-to-face contact (i.e. a structural characteristic of the social network) was significantly associated with perceived QOL, particularly for family members, r = .388, p = .028. The more frequent face-to-face contact, the more positive the participants perceived their QOL.
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