The study of support need and support system of individuals with intellectual disabilities on their marriage

• Main Authors: Chien Chung Hsuan, 簡崇軒
• Other Authors: 陳靜江
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/39711180767157809685

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 諮商心理與復健諮商研究所 === 101 === This study adopted case study research, probing into three married couples with intellectual disabilities whose marriage is more than four years, and their support needs as well as the situation of supportive system intervention in the marriage. In addition to interviewing the three couples in depth, their significant others were also interviewed if necessary, inclusive of their family members, job coaches, and job supervisors. The information collected included verbatim text, field notes, and reflexive journals. Three couples all lived with either the bridegroom’s father or mother after marriage. An-Ge and Waner have a son though their employment is unstable; Fu-Ge and Xuaner have a son and a daughter, and the former had stable employment while the latter was out of work, staying at home; only Hong-Ge and Ling were both employed without any kids. The findings of this study are as follows: The males with intellectual disabilities would chase actively the girls they admired before marriage. One of the three couples knew each other and started dating in the school, while the other two knew each other after graduation. However, their parents were doubtful about their marriage because of their disabilities. Two couples of who got married on account of unexpected pregnancy. The brides’ parents hoped their daughters with intellectual disabilities could have long-term dependence so that they asked the men to be responsible. As to the bridegrooms’ parents, they made concessions owing to the moral obligation as well as the attitude to avoid trouble. The parents of the other couple approved of their marriage because they expected their children to rely on each other emotionally; most of all, they all agreed that the people with intellectual disabilities enjoyed the right to marry just like the ordinary people. In the aspect of support need during the marital course, the people with intellectual disabilities generally lacked for the ability to solve the problems efficiently when facing difficulties. Therefore, their support needs should be not only multiple but also individual. For example, they had no idea what to do when the girls were pregnant. After marriage, they still needed their family members’ or others’ support and interventional assistance from living, household arrangement, financial management, stable employment, recreational plans, to the conflict with each other or family. Especially, two couples needed longer continual support and assistance because of their heavy duty to raise the kids. In their marital course, the supports were usually the bridegroom’s parents or the bride’s parents. Generally speaking, the bridegroom’s mother played an important role in his marriage. Besides, it helped the couple with intellectual disabilities to keep a stable marital relation if the parents did assist their children to be well-prepared before marriage. On the contrary, if the parents’ attitude tended to be passive or they have problems in their own marriage, then they usually couldn’t provide any assistance as well as proper support. Therefore, how much the parents got involved in their marriage highly affected their quality of the marriage. Based on the above findings and results, the related suggestions that were respectively based on school education, family and social education, policy systems, and future research were proposed to the departments responsible for social policy, labor policy and educational policy for the marital support and counseling as well as related service.