Internet opportunities and risks for adolescents with intellectual disabilities: A comparative study of parents’ perceptions
Publication details
| Year: | 2020 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/11038128.2020.1770330 |
| Issued: | 2020 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 27 |
| Issue: | 8 |
| Start Page: | 601 |
| End Page: | 613 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Alfredsson Ågren K.; Kjellberg A.; Hemmingsson H. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy |
| Publisher: | Informa UK Limited |
| Topics: | Internet usage, practices and engagement; Risks and harms; Access, inequalities and vulnerabilities; Other |
| Sample: | 318 parents and legal guardians of adolescents with ID aged 13 to 20 in special schools in four municipalities and two regions in Sweden. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parenting guidance / support ; Other |
| Other Parent Implication: | Enabling positive risk-taking in Internet use in families with children with ID |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Other |
| Other PolicyMaker Implication: | Promoting digital citizenship and participation of adolescents with ID |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Other |
| Other Stakeholder Implication: | Promoting digital knowledge of professionals to support positive risk-taking in Internet use enabling digital competencies of adolescents with ID; providing ICT and internet-based interventions in occupational therapy for adolescents with ID |
Abstract
Background: In contemporary society internet and digital competencies are used to perform activities.
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate opportunities and risks of internet use as perceived by the parents of adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) in comparison with a national reference group of parents of adolescents.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with group comparisons using a national survey. Analyses were carried out using Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression to control for confounding factors.
Results: A significantly higher proportion of parents of adolescents with ID perceive opportunities associated with internet use and playing games, and a lower proportion perceive risks with negative consequences, compared with the reference group. Significantly more parents of adolescents with ID perceive their adolescent never use smartphones and social media compared with the reference group. Fewer parents of adolescents with ID have concerns about online risks for their adolescents compared with the reference group.
Conclusion and Significance: The results provide new knowledge for occupational therapists to support positive risk-taking in internet-use for adolescents with ID, in collaboration with their parents, to enable the development of digital competencies and digital participation in everyday life in a digitalised society.
Outcome
"A significantly higher proportion of parents of adolescents with ID perceive opportunities associated with internet use and playing games, and a lower proportion perceive risks with negative consequences, compared with the reference group. Significantly more parents of adolescents with ID perceive their adolescent never use smartphones and social media compared with the reference group. Fewer parents of adolescents with ID have concerns about online risks for their adolescents compared with the reference group." (From abstract)