Clinical trial NCT05703503: Mental Health and Healthcare in Adults With Intellectual Disabilities
Official title: Mental Health and Healthcare in Adults With Intellectual Disabilities
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Intellectual Disabilities (F70-F79)
Problem;Behaviour;Adult
Mental Health Issue
Employment
Delivery of Health Care
Keywords: Healthcare
Adults
Employment
Medication
Intellectual Disability
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Lead sponsor: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: The Dam Foundation
name: University of Tromso
name: University Hospital of North Norway
name: The Norwegian Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities
First posted: 2023-01-30
Enrollment: 214
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 16
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Persons with intellectual disabilities and registered services in the municipalities in two regions localised in the north and middle of Norway will be invited to participate in the study.

Brief summary: Intellectual disability (ID) is a diagnosis characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. The disability originates before age 18 years. The prevalence of mental ill-health among adults with intellectual disabilities is higher than the general population. Individuals with ID use psychotropic medication extensively, but studies indicate that less than one out of three who use psychotropic drugs have a psychiatric diagnosis. The drugs are usually prescribed by a regular general practitioner. People with IDs will often require health- and social services throughout their lifetimes. Studies report worse mental and physical health among people with IDs compared to the general population, in addition to more unmet healthcare needs and more difficulty accessing healthcare.

General health surveys in Norway do not include people with intellectual disabilities, and studies of health indicators in this group are largely lacking. Further, the unique organization of services for this group in Norway calls for specific research efforts. This project will use multinational health indicators for youths and adults with IDs in a biopsychosocial context in attempt to identify unmet health care needs to improve services. The project will focus on mental health and challenging behavior and how the related healthcare needs are met. We will also look at the relationship between mental health, behavioral problems and workforce employment amongst people with intellectual disabilities.

Detailed description: Intellectual disability (ID) is a diagnosis characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. The disability originates before age 18 years. The prevalence of mental ill-health among adults with intellectual disabilities is higher than the general population. Individuals with ID use psychotropic medication extensively, but studies indicate that less than one out of three who use psychotropic drugs have a psychiatric diagnosis. The drugs are usually prescribed by a regular general practitioner. People with IDs will often require health- and social services throughout their lifetimes. Studies report worse mental and physical health among people with IDs compared to the general population, in addition to more unmet healthcare needs and more difficulty accessing healthcare.

General health surveys in Norway do not include people with intellectual disabilities, and studies of health indicators in this group are largely lacking. Further, the unique organization of services for this group in Norway calls for specific research efforts. This project will use multinational health indicators for youths and adults with IDs in a biopsychosocial context in attempt to identify unmet health care needs to improve services. The project will focus on mental health and challenging behavior and how the related healthcare needs are met. We will also look at the relationship between mental health, behavioral problems and workforce employment amongst people with intellectual disabilities.

The following articles will be published as part of this project:

1. "The relationship between symptoms of mental health problems, diagnoses and medication in adults with intellectual disabilities"
2. "The contact between individuals with intellectual disabilities with mental health problems, and mental health professionals: characteristics of the patients and the professionals.
3. "Mental health, behavioral problems and workforce employment amongst people with intellectual disabilities".

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Clinical diagnosis of intellectual disability
* Age 16 or older and providing consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Age 15 or younger.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Health indicators in a Norwegian population of youths and adults with intellectual disabilities.
timeFrame: Baseline
Secondary outcomes:
measure: The Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-Community (ABC-C)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Moss Psychiatric Assessement Schedules- Checklist (MPAS- Check)
timeFrame: Baseline
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Trondheim
country: Norway
facility: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Study officials:
affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU.
name: Erik Søndenaa, PhD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References: