Evaluating the characteristics of the grieving process in people with intellectual disability

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics associated with the grieving process among a population with intellectual disability and the influence of particular variables.

The sample was composed of 380 participants with intellectual disability, on whose behalf 149 professionals completed a 20-item questionnaire with four Likert-type answer options, developed to evaluate the grieving process: Inventory of Grief and Coping Strategies in Intellectual Disability (IGCS-ID).

The IGCS-ID shows adequate levels of reliability. It covers three dimensions: understanding of the concept of death, coping with the loss and post-bereavement reactions. The level of intellectual disability, the time elapsed since the loss and the residential setting gave rise to significant differences in the three dimensions based on the participants.

An assessment of the grieving process would help to put in place effective resources to help people with intellectual disability overcome the loss and cope with the changes that it brings.