The Ambiguous Impact of Performance Measurement on Service Quality.

Background: Performance measurement is growing in importance as a management tool in services for disabled people.

Aim: The aim of this article is to add to the existing literature by exploring (a) the motivation for the introduction of such measurements, (b) the reasoning behind the choice of current indicators, and (c) the impact of performance measurements on service delivery.

Methods: (1) A study of documents (national and, if available, also local) on the motivation for, choice of, and implementation of quality measurements, and (2) interviews with top and middle managers in community services for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health difficulties.

COVID-19 IDD: Findings from a global survey exploring family members' and paid staff's perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their caregivers.

A growing body of evidence attests to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) during the pandemic. This study asked caregivers about their perceptions of how COVID-19 impacted them and the people they support. An online survey was conducted in 12 countries during August-September 2020 and sought information on demographics, support practices, information and training, experiences of COVID-19, social distancing, and wellbeing, as measured by the DASS12.

COVID-19 IDD: A global survey exploring family members' and paid staff's perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers.

: This protocol outlines research to explore family members' and paid staff's perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Evidence suggests that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience disparities in healthcare access and utilisation. This disparity was evident early in the pandemic when discussions arose regarding the potential exclusion of this population to critical care.

Prevalence, Trends and Custody Among Children of Parents with Intellectual Disabilities in Norway.

Background: This study addresses children of parents with intellectual disability in Norway. The aim was to examine: (i) the impact of definitions of intellectual disability on prevalence, (ii) whether numbers were increasing, (iii) the prevalence of motherhood and fatherhood and (iv) rates of lost custody.

Methods: Analyses of national registers (n = 30 834) and mapping in four municipalities (n = 85).

Self-reported health and sickness benefits among parents of children with a disability.

This article investigates the possible consequences in self-reported health and receipt of sickness benefits when parenting a child with a disability This study uses data from the population health study, The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2), and the historical event database, FD-Trygd, which contains Social Security and national insurance data for the Norwegian population. In the analysis, we compare 1587 parents of a child with a disability to other parents. Results indicate that parenting a disabled child impacts on self-reported health, particularly among mothers; however, being a parent to a disabled child has a much stronger effect in explaining the variance in received sickness benefits, and also length of time and frequency of having received sickness benefits.

Marriage, Separation and Beyond: A Longitudinal Study of Families of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in a Norwegian Context.

Background: This study addresses family structure in families raising a child with disabilities in Norway. The aims are to add to the literature on termination of parental relationships and to explore family research topics that are rarely discussed in disability research, such as cohabitation versus marriage and repartnering.

Methods: Longitudinal survey data on families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were born 1993-1995 were compared with register data on all families of same-aged children (five waves 1999-2012).

Ageing and health status in adults with intellectual disabilities: results of the European POMONA II study.

Background: POMONA II was a European Commission public health-funded project. The research questions in this article focus on age-specific differences relating to environmental and lifestyle factors, and the 17 medical conditions measured by the POMONA Checklist of Health Indicators (P15).

Method: The P15 was completed in a cross-sectional design for a stratified sample of 1,253 adults with ID across 14 European member states.

Sampling and ethical issues in a multicenter study on health of people with intellectual disabilities.

Objectives: To study health inequalities in persons with intellectual disabilities, representative and unbiased samples are needed. Little is known about sample recruitment in this vulnerable group. This study aimed to determine differences in ethical procedures and sample recruitment in a multicenter research on health of persons with intellectual disabilities.

Family attitudes to deinstitutionalisation: changes during and after reform years in a Scandinavian country.

Background: Research shows that many families initially oppose relocation from institutions to community care, but also that a majority change their mind after resettlement. The paper addresses the question of whether this post-resettlement preference for community services is only short-term or likely to last. METHOD; Data were gathered at three points in time on people resettling from institutions in Norway: before resettlement (1989/90), shortly after resettlement (1994/95), and about ten years after resettlement (2001).