Online social connections and Internet use among people with intellectual disabilities in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having a disability, in particular, an intellectual disability, is associated with Internet non-use. This article explores how people with intellectual disabilities used the Internet across the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April to May 2021, 571 adults with intellectual disabilities were interviewed. Participants most commonly used the Internet for being with family and friends, social media or doing online activities with other people. People who lived with family were the most likely to use social media; people who lived with other people with intellectual disabilities were the least likely. People who self-reported as not lonely were more likely to use the Internet for online activities with others and play video games with others. Social connections were identified as the best thing about the Internet. Many participants chose not to identify a worst thing about Internet use, while others reported issues with technology, online harm and threats to well-being.

What do people with intellectual disabilities, their family members and paid carers understand about psychotropic medication? A rapid review.

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than the general population and are frequently prescribed multiple medications. Understanding people with intellectual disabilities and carer perspectives is essential to improving the quality of psychotropic medication prescribing and usage. METHOD: A rapid review explored people with intellectual disabilities' understanding of psychotropic medications, as well as family members and paid carers, and how this understanding can be improved. RESULTS: Twenty-one journal articles were included. Lack of understanding of medication was universal, with participants often unaware of adverse effects, alternatives, and rights around medication. There was also a lack of involvement in decision making for all participants. Some interventions aimed at people with intellectual disabilities or paid carers helped to improve knowledge. CONCLUSION: Evaluating how best to improve psychotropic medication understanding for people with intellectual disabilities, family members and paid carers should be a focus for future research.

(Not) Going Out and Barriers to Leaving the House for People With Intellectual Disabilities Through the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK.

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities commonly experience multiple barriers to 'going out'. AIMS: This paper explores what barriers prevented people from going out, and if the extent and nature of going out changed over time for people with intellectual disabilities as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed. METHODS: Data are drawn from a wider study that explored, at four time points, the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities through the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. FINDINGS: The number of people leaving the house for almost all reasons increased over time through the pandemic, except for some outdoor participation and exercise. However, there was a significant decrease in outdoor exercise at the final time point of the study. Reliance on other people and a lack of availability of support were identified as barriers. CONCLUSION: A combination of factors restricted the extent to which people were going out even after COVID-19 protections were lifted.

Internet use for family carers of people with intellectual disabilities: A literature review and thematic synthesis.

Being a family carer can be rewarding but can also lead to mental and physical exhaustion as well as feelings of social exclusion and isolation. Research has shown that the use of the Internet and online forums can provide an immediate place to find information and reassurance and that forum use can be an empathetic place to share experiences and seek emotional support. This article details a systematic literature search of research on carers of people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism using the Internet. A thematic synthesis of the resulting papers identified that online forums give carers a sense of agency by providing a place to go for informational support that may not be elsewhere. Carers also enjoyed the safe community of solidarity and emotional support that online forums provide. An important finding is the lack of published papers in this area with the inclusion of just eight papers.

Healthy lifestyles for adults with intellectual disability: knowledge, barriers, and facilitators.

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disability (ID) are more likely to have health problems than people without disability. Little previous research has investigated health from the perspective of the people with ID themselves. We aimed to focus on what people with ID understand being healthy to mean and what their experiences are of healthy lifestyles. METHOD: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 adults with ID to ask them about their health and healthy lifestyles. Data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Participants demonstrated understanding of what it means to be healthy, have a healthy diet, the dangers of substance misuse, and the benefits of exercise. Participants demonstrated some knowledge about rationales for engaging in healthy behaviours. The idea of moderation was raised, along with barriers and facilitators to engaging in a healthy lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that people with ID demonstrate some understanding of what constitutes being healthy and are aware of healthy lifestyles, the consequences of unhealthy behaviours, and of the need for moderation.

'Internet is easy if you know how to use it': Doing online research with people with learning disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed the way we live, work, interact and do research. Many activities moved online, and digital inclusion became an urgent issue for researchers working with people with learning disabilities and other groups at risk of exclusion. This has generated new questions about how we conduct research and what it means to go into 'the field'. Methods: We discuss our experience working across four qualitative research projects involving 867 participants with learning disabilities, conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Findings: Moving research online resulted in often-swift adaptations to research designs and practice, bringing new insights and benefits to our studies. The changing circumstances fostered innovation and greater flexibility and contributed to research becoming more accessible to many. However, doing research online also posed new challenges as well as amplified existing ones. Conclusions: The pandemic has made it easier for some people with learning disabilities to participate in research, but more needs to be done to improve the reach and quality of that participation. Researchers should make the process of participation as accessible as possible. It is also their job to question and challenge the conditions that create barriers to participation in research and to look for ways to change these. We make some recommendations on how this can be achieved.

Management of depression in older people with osteoarthritis: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, and depressive symptoms are common in older people with arthritic pain. However, relatively little attention has been given to the efficacy of interventions that may be beneficial for older people with OA with concomitant depressive symptoms. METHODS: The aim of this review was to evaluate data from clinical trials testing the effectiveness of various interventions for older patients suffering from OA and depression. Systematic searches were conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsychInfo, Web of Knowledge and Pubmed (January 1990-July 2009). RESULTS: Fourteen studies were identified and examined. Interventions highlighted in these studies were: patient education programmes (N = 3); cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (N = 2); depression care and pharmacological intervention (N = 2); and exercise therapy (N = 7). 11 out of 14 interventions showed some improvement in patients' depressive symptoms in the short term. Three of the interventions did not affect depressive symptoms on patients with OA. CONCLUSIONS: There was some evidence to suggest that the intervention of CBT, integrated depression care management and exercise therapy were associated with reduced depressive symptoms in the short term. However, the long-term benefits of depression management in patients with OA with co-morbid depression are unknown. Future well-controlled clinical trials are needed.