The feasibility of daily monitoring in adolescents and young adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning

• Published in: Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities 2023-07, Vol.36 (4), p.847-858
• Main Authors: Hulsmans, Daan H. G., Poelen, Evelien A. P., Lichtwarck‐Aschoff, Anna, Otten, Roy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Ambulatory Care; Assisted living facilities; Behavior; Compliance (Psychology); daily diary; Detention centers; Diaries; Diaries as Topic; Ecological Momentary Assessment; feasibility; Feasibility Studies; Feedback, Psychological; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Services; Humans; Intellectual disabilities; Intellectual Disability - psychology; Intellectual Disability - therapy; Interviews as Topic; Juvenile Justice; Male; Mild Intellectual Disability; Mobile Applications; Patient Compliance; Patient Dropouts; Patient Satisfaction; personalised monitoring; Residential Care; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Teenagers; Time Factors; Young Adult; Young Adults
• ISSN: 1360-2322; 1468-3148
• DOI: 10.1111/jar.13102

Background It is unclear whether the limitations of young persons with a mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning preclude feasibility of the daily diary method. Method For 60 consecutive days, 50 participants (Mage = 21.4, 56% male) who receive care in an ambulatory, residential, or juvenile detention setting, self‐rated both standardised and personalised diary questions through an app. Diary entries were used for feedback in treatment. Interviews were used to explore acceptability. Results Average compliance was 70.4%, while 26% of participants dropped out. Compliance was good in ambulatory (88.9%) and residential care (75.6%), but not in the juvenile detention setting (19.4%). The content of self‐selected diary items varied widely. Participants deemed the method acceptable. Conclusions Daily monitoring is feasible for individuals with a mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning receiving ambulatory or residential care, and can provide scientists and practitioners with important insights into day‐to‐day behavioural patterns. Lay summary Once per day for two months, young persons with a mild intellectual disability who received specialized care could complete diary questions about their daily experiences through an app on their mobile phone. Diaries consisted of eight questions that were pre‐selected by the researchers (about anxiety, negative thinking, impulsivity and sensation seeking), as well as closed‐ or open‐ended personalized questions about topics that each participant had suggested for him or herself. On average, they completed over 70% of their diary surveys and perceived increased self‐awareness, due to the daily self‐evaluations and discussing their weekly diary responses with their care professional throughout the study. The daily diary method is feasible and can provide scientists and practitioners with important insights the daily lives of young persons with a mild intellectual disability.