The Influence of the Level of Emotional Development on Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Problem Behaviour in People With Intellectual Disability. A Cross-Sectional Study in a Spanish Context.

This study looked at 192 adults with intellectual disabilities in Spain to understand how emotional development relates to behavioural problems and mental health conditions. Researchers found that people with more severe intellectual disabilities often had lower emotional development, which was linked to more problem behaviours and conditions like autism. The study suggests that understanding a person's emotional development level could help predict and manage behavioural challenges.

This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between emotional development and psychiatric conditions in 192 Spanish adults with intellectual disabilities. Results revealed significant associations between emotional development level and degree of intellectual disability, problem behaviour severity, and certain neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorder. A regression model explained 61% of variance in emotional development using factors including intellectual disability severity, problem behaviours, autism spectrum disorder, and adaptive behaviour. The findings suggest emotional development may be a key factor influencing both problem behaviour severity and psychiatric disorder presence in people with intellectual disabilities.

Findings suggest emotional development assessment should be integrated into clinical evaluation of people with intellectual disabilities. Understanding emotional development levels may help predict problem behaviour severity and inform intervention planning. Results support considering emotional development as a key factor in treatment approaches for this population.

Cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Study limited to Spanish context which may affect generalizability. Sample restricted to adults with both intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders, potentially limiting broader applicability.

People with intellectual disabilities often present a discrepancy between emotional and cognitive development, which may play a role in the presence of some psychiatric disorders and problem behaviour (PB). Observational, cross-sectional study of 192 adults with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders. We found a statistically significant relationship between level of emotional development (ED) and degree of intellectual disability, as well as with severity of PB and some kinds of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. In a regression model, 61% of the variance in the global emotional development variable is explained by the variables: Intellectual disability mild-moderate and severe (B = -1.058; p < 0.001), Intellectual disability mild and moderate-severe (B = -0.118; p < 0.05), PB (B = -0.352; p < 0.005), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (B = -0.129; p < 0.05) and adaptive behaviour (B = 0.017; p < 0.001).

Level of ED could be a key factor in the severity of PB and in the presence of some psychiatric disorders in people with intellectual disabilities.