The relationship between quality of life and self‐determination: an international study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between self-determination and quality of life (QOL) of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in four countries (Canada, United States, Belgium and France). METHOD: Participants were 182 adults with mild ID living in community settings (with families, living independently or in supported living environments). QOL was measured with the Quality of Life Questionnaire. Self-determination was measured using the Adult version of The Arc's Self-Determination Scale. Discriminant function and correlational analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Discriminant function analysis indicated that essential characteristics of self-determination predicted membership in the high QOL group and that overall self-determination and QOL were significantly correlated, as were sub-scale scores. CONCLUSIONS: The study replicates findings from a previous study with an international sample and confirms the importance of self-determination to enhance QOL. Subsequent research should examine the direction of the relationship between self-determination and QOL and examine the relationship of essential characteristics of self-determined behaviour and core domains of QOL in greater detail.