Attentional Resources and Independence in Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Beatriz García-Pintor; Francisco Manuel Morales-Rodríguez; José Manuel Pérez-Mármol

doi:10.3390/healthcare12020126

Attentional Resources and Independence in Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Jan 5;12(2):126. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12020126.

Authors

Beatriz García-Pintor^{1

2}, Francisco Manuel Morales-Rodríguez³, José Manuel Pérez-Mármol^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Association in Favor of People with Intellectual Disability-ASPROGRADES, 18007 Granada, Spain.
² Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain.
³ Department of Educational and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain.
⁴ Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs., 18012 Granada, Spain.

Abstract

The relationship between attentional resources and functionality in individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) is clinically relevant. This study aimed to examine the possible relationship between the degree of ID and attentional resources, and to evaluate whether attentional resources predict the performance of basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals with mild and moderate ID. This study, which employed a descriptive, cross-sectional, observational design, was conducted between July 2019 and May 2020. The sample consisted of 166 individuals divided into three groups: moderate ID, mild ID, and those without ID. These groups were compared for attentional functions (p < 0.001), obtaining an effect size ranging from medium to large. The results indicated that 40% of the variance in basic ADL performance was explained by the age of the participants, degree of disability, and sustained attention in individuals with ID. Additionally, 64% of the variance in instrumental ADL performance was explained by sustained, divided, and executive attention. Therefore, attentional resources appear to be associated with the performance of basic and instrumental ADL in individuals with mild and moderate ID.

Keywords: activities of daily living; attention; independence; intellectual disability; personal autonomy.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia (funding for the promotion of disability research), Vicerrectorado de Responsabilidad Social, University of Granada. Reference number: Program 45.