Adult mildly retarded persons and their parents: the relationship between involvement and adjustment

The relationships of 29 mildly mentally retarded adults, who were living independently in the community, and their parents were examined. Analysis of ethnographic data from 18 months of participant observation of these mentally retarded adults and approximately 9 hours of parent interview revealed three types of parent-child relationships: Supportive, in which adult children were the most independent and had the highest self-esteem and in which parents promoted growth and development; Dependent, in which adults felt good about themselves but were over protected by their parents; and Conflict-ridden, in which adults were the least well-adjusted and parent-child interaction was discordant. The most salient finding was the relative lack of self-maintenance displayed by the mentally retarded adults in all three groups and the extensiveness of support provided by parents.