Adults with LD' experiences of disclosing abuse Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Adults with Learning Disabilities'(LD) experiences of disclosing abuse; Contexts, Facilitators, Barriers and Responses
IRAS ID
266493
Contact name
Emma Harlow
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Essex
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 27 days
Research summary
Adults with Learning Disabilities’ (LD) experiences of disclosing abuse; Contexts, Facilitators, Barriers and Responses
Interpersonal abuse can have a significant impact on an individual’s mental and physical health, yet a vast amount of abuse remains unreported. It is proposed that the disclosure of abuse in a safe and considered way is a fundamental first step in the recovery process. Several literature reviews and studies have explored the experiences of adults disclosing abuse, including to healthcare services. The reviews highlighted the facilitators and barriers to disclosure, as well as the positive and negative responses received following the disclosure.
However, the experiences of adults with LD on disclosing abuse are seldom heard within the literature, despite this group being at a greater risk of being abused. Therefore, the aim of the proposed study is to explore the experiences of adults with LD, who access community LD services, of disclosing abuse, and how services can best support and respond to disclosure. The research hopes to develop recommendations for professionals working with adults with LD on how to support and respond appropriately to the disclosure of abuse.
A qualitative methodology will be adopted to address this, with consultation with a service user group and other professionals and stakeholders. Six to ten adults with LD will be recruited from LD community services in Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust (HPFT) , and North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), via purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews will be utilised to explore the participants’ experiences, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be used to analyse the data from the interviews and the findings will be disseminated to several audiences.
The study will run from August 2020-October 2021 (this includes recruitment, data collection and analysis, study write up, dissemination, viva and revisions).
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/1015
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion