The relationships among three factors affecting the financial decision-making abilities of adults with mild intellectual disabilities.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: Among adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs), there is a need not only to assess financial decision-making capacity, but also to understand how it can be maximized. Although increased financial independence is a goal for many people, it is essential that individuals' decision-making abilities are sufficient, and many factors may affect the development of such abilities. METHOD: As part of a wider project on financial decision-making, we analysed previous data from a group of 30 adults with mild IDs, identifying correlations among four variables: (i) financial decision-making abilities; (ii) intellectual ability; (iii) understanding of some basic concepts relevant to finance; and (iv) decision-making opportunities in everyday life. RESULTS: The analysis indicated a direct relationship between ID and basic financial understanding. Strong relationships of a potentially reciprocal nature were identified between basic financial understanding and everyday decision-making opportunities, and between such opportunities and financial decision-making abilities. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the role of intellectual ability in determining financial decision-making abilities is only indirect, and that access to both basic skills education and everyday decision-making opportunities is crucial for maximizing capacity. The implications of this are discussed.

Author information

Author/s: Suto, W M I (WM); Clare, I C H (IC); Holland, A J (AJ); Watson, P C (PC);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry (Section of Developmental Psychiatry), University of Cambridge, UK. wmis2(-atsign-)cam.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR (J Intellect Disabil Res), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2005-Mar; vol 49 (issue Pt 3) : pp 210-7

Dates: Created 2005/02/16; Completed 2005/06/09; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 15713196, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

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