Parenting influence on social competence in adolescents with and without intellectual disability

Abstract

Belsky’s theory of differential susceptibility to environmental influences assumes that the very individuals who seem most susceptible to environmental adversity may also benefit most from developmentally supportive rearing. The aim of this study was to examine whether supportive parenting (with parental care) in contrast to unsupportive parenting (without parental care), has greater beneficial effects in adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) than in typically developing (TD) adolescents. The sample included two groups of adolescents aged 12-18: the group of 210 adolescents without parental care (PC), 80 with ID (Mage = 15.59 years; SDage = 1.97; 54% boys), 130 TD adolescents (Mage = 15.03 years; SDage = 1.95; 52% boys) and the parallel group of 206 adolescents with PC, 76 with ID (Mage = 15.57 years; SDage = 1.93; 53% boys), 130 TD adolescents (Mage = 15.03 years; SDage = 1.95; 52% boys). Social competence was assessed using the Social Skills Rating System. Our assumption was confirmed with respect to self-control, cooperation and responsibility, adolescents with ID are more susceptible to influences of parenting status compared with TD adolescents. With respect to externalising problems, our assumption was not confirmed, possibly due to the less supportive parenting environment characterised by more parenting risk factors in families of adolescents with ID. The implications for prevention of externalising problems were discussed in relation to school and family context.

Keywords

• social competence
• adolescence
• parenting
• intellectual disability
• differential susceptibility