Assessing the Mental Health of Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review Protocol

Assessing the Mental Health of Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review Protocol

Intellectual disabilities (IDs) are a group of developmental conditions characterised by limitations in cognitive functioning and adaptive behaviour, which can affect an individual’s ability to communicate, learn, and engage in everyday activities (Luna, 2024). Research indicates that 1.74% of the worldwide population in 2019, and 4.3% of Australian children in 2021 are living with IDs (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, 2021; Nair, et al., 2022). Additionally, it is widely reported that individuals presenting with IDs are at greater risk of experiencing psychological distress and mental health concerns (Buckley, et al., 2020).
There are significant costs and burdens placed on the Australian Government, associated with supporting children with IDs. The annual cost of children with IDs to the Australian Government is estimated to be $1.1 billion AUD (Arora, et al., 2020). As a result, the Australian Government has introduced numerous support services which aim to provide financial support for children and their families to assist with improving their functional deficits and quality of life. These include the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) (approx. $8,429.3 million in 2019-2020), carer allowances, and increased public healthcare utilisation (National Disability Insurance Agency, 2019; Schofield, 2024). Reports indicate that there is currently poor management of the mental health and wellbeing needs of children with IDs (World Health Organisation & the United Nations Children’s Fund, 2023). This underscores a critical need to further understand the costs and burdens of IDs on children, their families, services, and society when evaluating their mental health and wellbeing.
Families of children with IDs also face significant costs including time spent providing care, caregiver absenteeism, reduced quality of life, reduced emotional and mental health and wellbeing, and financial burdens (Alnahdi & Schwab, 2024). Moreover, children with IDs experience reduced quality of life, dignity, and social inclusion, as well as impacted education as a result of their reliance on others and difficulties with independent participation of daily living activities (Alnahdi & Schwab, 2024; The Royal Commission, 2021). The Royal Commission (2021) states that children with IDs have a higher incidence of experiencing further poor health outcomes and comorbid conditions. The above outlined costs to both society as a whole, services, families, and children highlight the urgent need to review current approaches to supporting children with IDs.

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