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Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability

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  • Sense of belonging and community living.

    Research question:

    Is the sense of community belonging for older people with intellectual disabilities similar to that reported for other older adults.

    Study aim:

    1. To explore the sense of belonging to local community among the IDS-TILDA sample using questions added in the IDS-TILDA wave 3 protocol to support examining reciprocal community relationships and the factors associated with having a sense of belonging in one’s local community.


    2. To examine associations between having a sense of belonging to local community and health and quality of life outcomes outcomes.

    Background/rationale:

    A sense of belonging driven by reciprocal or interdependent relationships is identified in the general community literature as fundamental to one’s sense of belonging in communities with additional implications for health, mental health and quality of life. There has been little research examining similar ideas among persons with an intellectual disability.

    • Methods:

    Secondary data analysis of wave 3 data from IDS TILDA. As part of PhD training student will receive formalized training in the administration of a computer assisted protocol, participate in a multidisciplinary research team and will be expected to complete data collection interviews and to assist in interview scheduling, data cleaning and analyses. The supervisory team will be multidisciplinary and include international scholars.