Abstract:

This study examined the roles of stigma and of enabling factors in help-seeking by parental caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities and dual diagnosis. Questionnaires were completed by 195 family caregivers. Lower family stigma was related to higher personal enabling factors (e.g. knowledge about services and previous experience in seeking help), which in turn was related to higher help-seeking behaviors. Higher professional enabling factors (e.g. attitude of the professional, services in the vicinity) were related to higher intentions to seek help, which were related to higher help-seeking behaviors. Professionals can help families achieve a greater sense of self-efficacy in their own help-seeking process by providing them with knowledge about services and facilitating a more positive experience in the process.

Notes:

Funding Information: Funding This study was funded by the State of Lower-Saxony, Hannover, Germany (Grant Number ZN 2918). Funding Information: This research was supported financially by the State of Lower-Saxony, Hannover, Germany (ZN 2918). We warmly thank the families who participated in the study. We also thank the Ministry of Education, the Disabilities’ Administration of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Social Services, The Outpatient Unit for Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry at Schneider Children’s Medical Center and Beit Issie Shapiro for their help in recruitment. Finally, we thank all the research assistants who made this study possible. Publisher Copyright: © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.