Leisure activities, friendships, and quality of life of persons with intellectual disability: Foster homes vs community residential settings

Living in the community does not, in itself, guarantee social integration and inclusion for persons with intellectual disability. Friendships and leisure participation can indicate the beginning of such B process and their impact on quality of life. The present study investigated the quality of life, friendships and leisure activities of persons with intellectual disability who live in community settings or in foster families. Three hypotheses were examined: 1. Persons with intellectual disability who live in foster families have more friends than do those who live in community residential settings. 2. Persons with intellectual disability who live in community residential settings participate in more leisure activities than those who live in foster families. 3. The more friendships and leisure activities in which one is involved, the higher the quality of one's life.