The Experiences of Carers of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities During the First COVID-19 Lockdown Period

Abstract

Background The recent COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread international restrictions, severely impacting on health and social care services. For many individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) this meant reduced access to services and support for them and their carers.

Aim The aim of this study was to gain insight into the ways parents of adults with ID coped during the first 2020 lockdown period.

Methods Eight parents of adults with ID were interviewed. The recordings of these interviews were subjected to a thematic analysis.

Results Four main themes were identified: powerless and unappreciated; coping under lockdown; support; and the impact of lockdown on well-being.

Conclusions The parents of adults with ID who made up our sample reported that they received little support from services and experienced a sense of powerlessness. Nevertheless, they were open to accepting support from family and friends and showed remarkable resilience. These findings are discussed in the light of the Willner et al. (2020) survey results on parental mental health and coping, and suggestions for future service provision during pandemic conditions are proposed.