Assessing quality of life among adults with mental retardation living in various settings

Fifty-eight Israeli adults with mild to moderate mental retardation, living in Jerusalem, either in a residential institution, various sheltered apartments or in their parents' home, were studied with respect to their quality of life. Quality of life was evaluated through the assessment of individual's satisfaction with different elements of life. The results are presented in this article. Overall, significant differences were found in satisfaction with: current residence, friends and free time, and total lifestyle satisfaction. Residents of sheltered apartments expressed the most satisfaction in these three domains. Persons living in the residential institution expressed the least satisfaction with current residence, and people living in their parents' home expressed the least satisfaction with friends and free time and with total lifestyle satisfaction. The three groups differ significantly on the three domains of life satisfaction even after controlling for background and environmental characteristics such as: age, health limitations, adaptive behaviour, participation in leisure activities, and opportunity to choose and decide.