Investigating the relationship between challenging behavior, co-morbid psychopathology and social skills in adults with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in Ireland

Researchers suggest that social skill deficits and psychiatric issues may be affected by the presence of maladaptive behaviors in people with intellectual disabilities. A sample of 39 participants with intellectual disability was surveyed for the presence of psychiatric symptoms and social skills deficits. Outcomes indicated that individuals with severe challenging behaviors scored significantly higher than those without problem behaviors in terms of presence of psychiatric symptoms in ten of the thirteen subscales of the DASH-II. Results also showed that individuals with severe problem behaviors scored significantly lower on social skills measures, using the MESSIER, than those without. A significant difference was observed between participants presenting with psychiatric symptoms and those who did not in terms of social skills, with the former scoring significantly lower than the latter. Results of the study provide weight to current research supporting the relationships between problem behaviors, co-morbid psychopathology and social skill deficits. This information could be used to further develop positive supports for adults with intellectual disability and challenging behaviors in order to improve their quality of life, community inclusion and social networks.

Research highlights
► Impact of challenging behavior on psychopathology and social skills in intellectual disability.
► Relationship between psychopathology and social skill deficits.
► Participants with severe challenging behaviors scored significantly higher than those without problem behaviors on psychiatric symptoms on the DASH-II.
► Participants with psychiatric symptoms scored significantly lower than those without on social skill measures using the MESSIER.