Factors associated with the quality of life of people with disabilities living in institutions or attending day care in Luxembourg.

Abstract

To inform policies aimed at improving the quality of life for people with disabilities - an objective enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) -, there is a need to understand the determining factors of their quality of life. This paper seeks to assess the impact of a uniquely comprehensive set of potential determinants, using a tailor-made survey of people with disabilities in the context of Luxembourg - a country that despite its high level of economic wealth is by some accounts lagging behind in terms of progress towards the UNCRPD. We analysed semi-structured interview data from 124 adults with intellectual, motor or autism spectrum disorders living in residential settings or attending day-care services in Luxembourg. Participants were selected from a random sample drawn from 1,115 beneficiaries of Luxembourg's socio-pedagogical support scheme, stratified by age, gender, residential status and professional status. The data encompasses a range of factors, e.g., socio-economic determinants, social participation, living environment conditions, in addition to various aspects of well-being and quality of life. We employ multiple linear regressions with fixed effects analysis. Quality of life is significantly associated with the needs for support, living environment settings and - if to a lesser extent - with the frequency of contact with the neighbourhood. By contrast, after adjustment, we did not detect statistically significant independent associations between QoL and disability type, communication skills or mobility limitations. Our findings lend support to the view that to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, policymakers should seriously consider focusing on the promotion of greater social participation and independent living.