Stress and the move into community accommodation

Abstract

The move into community-based supported accommodation for people with an intellectual disability can be exciting and rewarding but also confusing, demanding and perhaps even frightening. Yet, there has been little empirical or descriptive research into the emotional lives of this group. This study follows the concerns and stresses of four people with an intellectual disability for five months as they negotiate the trials and rewards of moving out into a flat in the community, with only drop-in support. The strongest trend emerging from all four participants is that the transition is not perceived by them to be stressful, but rather as a positive event which lowers general stress levels at the time. Unfortunately, the participants in this study found that other issues in their life gradually re-emerged and their perceived stress level soon rose again. Implications are drawn from the data for those involved in supporting people with an intellectual disability to move into supported accommodation.