Varför förstår inte mamma? : En kvalitativ studie om barn till föräldrar med utvecklingsstörning

Sammanfattning: The aim with this study is to through a research summary review experiences of growth and the parents caring ability among children who has grown up with parents having intellectual disabilites, and by empirical data illustrate how these persons today describe their childhood, their parents caring ability and other cicumstances that have affected the growth. The results from the research summary are then to be compared with the results from the empirical data in purpose to review similarities and discrepancies. The study has a qualitative approach and it is based on foundings from earlier research and interviews with four women whos mothers have intellectual disabilities. In the existing research of this issue there is a clear dichotomy between whether the researchers have focused on either the children or the parents. In both perspectives there are different conceptions about whether a person with intellectual disabilities have the capacity to care for and raise a child, as there is about how the parents intellectual disaparment affects the child. The womens stories of the childhood are obviously unique, but they also have many experiences in common, both among themselves as with what has been found in research. Children of parents with intellectual disabilities have been classified as a risk group, wich has been shown by reversed roles for child and parent, lack of attachment to the parents and by insufficient care. Despite the difficulties that the women have faced, they describe many parts of their lives in positive terms today. There seems to be other influences in addition to the parents intellectual capacity that affect theese childrens outcomes. The informal network has been pointed out as an important factor of how theese families cope with their daily lives, both by other research and the women participating in this study. Close contact to at least one other adult beside the biological parents is also considered promotive, as well as higher education. Key words: Intellectual disability, child, parenting, attachment, network, dichotomy.