This research investigated the relationships between life changes and the experience of secondary conditions among adults with developmental disabilities with two independent samples (N=266 and N=649). Results of regression analyses indicated that the hypothesized positive relationships between life changes and the experience of secondary conditions were significant. Preliminary investigations exploring the potential utility of personal and environmental attributes for further describing the relationship between life changes and the experience of secondary conditions were also conducted. These were framed within general exploratory hypotheses positing the importance of cumulative and compensatory effects to the prediction of the experience of secondary conditions. Classification and Regression Tree (CART; Breiman, Friedman, Oshen, & Stone, 1984) analyses were used to test these hypotheses. CART generated two models predicting profiles of individuals with different frequencies of secondary conditions experienced as limiting and different severity estimates for the limitation due to secondary conditions. These models provided support for the exploratory hypotheses of the present study. They illustrated the importance of looking beyond traditional bivariate descriptions of the relationships between predictors and outcome variables to potential compensatory and cumulative effects of predictive factors on the experience of secondary conditions. The exploratory analyses suggested that, in terms of secondary conditions, younger persons with lower overall disability severity may adapt more successfully to life change than do older persons with greater overall disability severity. Given the preliminary nature of these findings, implications are discussed primarily in terms of future research directions. See ruralinstitute.umt.edu/rtcrural/health/RuH.htm
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: 1. Describe sources of stress affecting the lives of adults with developmental disablities. 2. Identify methods for measuring stress and the experience of secondary conditions. 3. Discuss ways in which stress and secondary conditions are related.
Keywords: Stress, Disability
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Montana University Affiliated Rural Institute on Disabilities, 52 Corbin Hall, Missoula, MT, 59812; The Psychology Department, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.