Intellectual disability and child abuse: review of associated factors and consequences and influence of medical, social and rehabilitation services received

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) are 4 times more likely to experience childhood abuse than other children. Yet, very little is known about the risk factors for their health and development and the consequences of abuse specific to them. The role of the services received on risk mitigation or the consequences that they develop or not is also unexplored.

This research project aims to:
1) identify 1.1) health risk factors and 1.2.) the consequences of abuse on the health, development and adjustment of children with ID, in addition to assessing 1.3.) the role of three types of services (medical, protective and specialized in ID) on the development or intensity of these consequences;
2) distinguishing parental, social factors and the internalized and externalized disorders associated with the situation of the abused children with ID by checking whether 2.1) certain characteristics of the abuse (form, severity), 2.2.), level of ID and 2.3.) the dose or type of service received moderates the relationship between abuse and consequences. The influence of sex and gender on the presence and strength of the associations observed will be tested.

The research project will combine the information obtained from three databases: that of the youth protection centers of Quebec, the Quebec Health Insurance Plan and that of the ID/ASD/PD services of the Integrated Health and Social Services Centres (CISSS). Direct data collection from parents and teachers of children who are abused or not and with an ID or not will be conducted in order to document the family and social factors chronically under-documented in research and consequences other than health diagnoses specific to the abuse of children with ID.

Method. This project will use an observational design, which is the best choice for studying cause and effect mechanisms when the use of experimental designs is not possible for practical or ethical reasons. Two studies will be performed to meet the research objectives. For study 1, a longitudinal design of the birth cohort follow-up type will be used to identify the risk factors, the consequences, the dose and the type of services received in the children according to ID (yes/no) and abuse (yes/no). Study 2 is based on a cross-sectional correlational design, involving the collection of data by questionnaires from non-offending parents or persons giving care to the child and teachers of children referred by different settings offering services for children, including in the context of abuse.

PRIMARY RESEARCHER: Jacinthe Dion

OTHER PRIMARY RESEARCHER: Geneviève Paquette

CO-RESEARCHES: Mireille Cyr, Isabelle Daigneault, Sonia Hélie, Christian Joyal, Alexa Martin-Storey, Karine N Tremblay, Eveline van Vugt

DATES: April, 2020 – March, 2025