By Carli Friedman, CQL Director of Research
Social capital is a concept that recognizes that our relationships and social networks can serve as a form of capital, similar to money, helping to connect us with resources, and material, emotional, and social support. While research has long indicated people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are more socially isolated and lonely than people without IDD, less research has focused on social capital of people with IDD. For these reasons, the aim of this study was to examine social capital-related outcomes of people with IDD, including how those outcomes can improve people’s quality of life. To do so, I analyzed Personal Outcome Measures® interviews (2016-2022) from 5,493 people with IDD.
People with IDD had an average of 3.38 (out of 8 total) social capital-related outcomes present. They most frequently had the outcome ‘people are respected’ (51.7%) present, and least frequently had the outcome ‘people perform different social roles’ (33.9%) present.
Social Capital-Related Outcomes Present
Social capital significant increased every other area of people with IDD’s quality of life. For example, the probability of a person with IDD exercising rights is only 27% when they have 0 social capital-related outcomes present. However, the probability increases to 87% when the person with IDD has all 8 social capital-related outcomes present.
Impact of Social Capital on Other Area of Quality of Life
In addition, the following people with IDD had fewer social-capital outcomes present: younger people; people who primarily communicated through verbal/spoken language; people with full/plenary guardianship; Latiné and multiracial people; people with complex medical support needs; people with comprehensive behavior support needs; people who lived in provider owned/operated homes; people who lived in intermediate care facilities (ICF); people who lived with more housemates; and people in segregated day programs. Targeted supports would be beneficial for these groups of people to increase their social capital.
“Social capital plays an important role in our lives, helping connect us with resources and informal and formal support. In our study, we found evidence suggesting social capital-related outcomes significantly improve the quality of life of people with IDD. Yet, many people with IDD in our study had limited or no social capital-related outcomes present. Facilitating the social capital of people with IDD with meaningful reciprocal relationships and integration is a must. People with IDD are not only passive ‘receivers’ of social capital, but valuable sources of social capital themselves; as such, when people with IDD are socially isolated, it is not just people with IDD that suffer – we all miss out on the social capital created in connection with people with IDD” (Friedman, 2024).
This article is a summary of the following journal manuscript: Friedman, C. (2024). Social capital and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-024-09975-3
Richer Connections, Richer Lives: Social Capital and Quality of Life