The impact of self-advocacy organizations on the subjective well-being of people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Background: A high sense of subjective well-being has been associated with more prosocial behaviours, better health, work productivity and positive relationships. The aim of this systematic review was to explore what impact self-advocacy has on the subjective well-being of people with intellectual disabilities.

Method: The authors reviewed articles focusing on the perspectives of adults with intellectual disabilities engaged with self-advocacy groups. Searches were performed in PsychINFO, Web of Science, SCOPUS, MEDLINE and CIHNL databases, resulting in 16 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. A framework synthesis approach was used to extract data deductively based on the Dynamic Model of Wellbeing.

Results: While self-advocacy has a positive impact on all domains of the Dynamic Model of Wellbeing, negative impacts associated with participation in a self-advocacy group were also reported.

Conclusions: The benefits of participating in self-advocacy groups on the well-being of individuals with intellectual disabilities outweigh the disadvantages.

Keywords: inclusive research; intellectual disabilities; self-advocacy; subjective well-being.