Adolescents with intellectual disabilities as victims of abuse

Abstract

Abuse of persons with disabilities continues to remain largely invisible, in spite of estimates suggesting that it is perpetrated against them more frequently than against those without disabilities. The aim of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation regarding the frequency and type of abuse of a selected group of students with intellectual disabilities in one high school in Israel and compare the findings with the frequency and type of abuse reported by non-disabled youth from a similar socioeconomic background. A total of 100 students answered the `Ending the Silence' questionnaire, 50 of them with intellectual and other disabilities. The main findings indicate that students with intellectual and other disabilities suffered from abuse more frequently than their peers; most of the instances of abuse occurred within the close social environment of the victim and were repeated over time.