Deinstitutionalization and Quality of Life of Individuals With Intellectual Disability: A Review of the International Literature

The policy of deinstitutionalization was based on the proposition that quality of life (QoL) of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) will improve as a result of being moved from institutions to community-based care settings. The aim of this literature review was to evaluate whether this assumption has become a reality now that the social policy of deinstitutionalization has progressed in many countries across the globe. A total of 15 studies were examined that assessed QoL as an outcome of community living following deinstitutionalization. Results indicated that relocation had a general positive impact on life quality of participants. However, many of the studies found that improvements were most prominent shortly after the move and plateaued after a year. Also, participants continued to have low levels of community integration. There was some evidence that healthcare needs might not be adequately met in the community. The role of service providers was indicated as vital in the continued development of participants' life quality. Common limitations of the studies reviewed included lack of subjective assessments of QoL and limited use of standardized measures of QoL. The authors note that the directions for future research should include examining whether QoL outcomes after deinstitutionalization are affected by level of ID and age of participants. Overall, additional empirical research is needed to identify the factors that are critical in enhancing QoL of participants in community-based care following deinstitutionalization.