Empowering Families to Enhance Independence in Activities of Daily Living Among Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Study in Bandung, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69855/mgj.v3i3.889Keywords:
ADL Independence, Empowerment, Intellectual DisabilityAbstract
Background: Families provide opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities to practise daily self-care. Understanding the relationship between family empowerment and functional independence may inform family-centred support. Purpose: To examine the association between family empowerment and independence in activities of daily living (ADL) among children with intellectual disabilities at SPLB-C YPLB Cipaganti, Bandung, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 22–25 April 2025, involving 42 family caregivers of students aged 7–18 years with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities. Caregivers completed the Family Empowerment Scale and assessed children’s self-care using the Katz Index. Descriptive statistics summarised the data, while Pearson’s chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests examined associations. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) measured association strength. Results: Twenty-two families (52.4%) had low empowerment, while 20 (47.6%) had good empowerment. High ADL independence was observed in 85.0% of children in the good-empowerment group and 54.5% in the low-empowerment group. Family empowerment was significantly associated with ADL independence (χ² = 4.546; p = 0.033; OR = 4.722; 95% CI: 1.068–20.888). Conclusion: Family empowerment was significantly associated with ADL independence among children with intellectual disabilities. However, the cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation.
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