Unseen Heroes: Parental Perceived Roles in Supporting Out-of-school Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities in Zimbabwe

Mercy Ncube; Kumbirai Makaruke

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.41887

Unseen Heroes: Parental Perceived Roles in Supporting Out-of-school Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities in Zimbabwe

Author(s)	Dr. Mercy Ncube, Ms. Kumbirai Makaruke
Country	Zimbabwe
Abstract	The study explored parental perceived roles in supporting adolescent school leavers with intellectual disabilities. Parents play a crucial role in the lives of adolescents with and without disabilities. They contribute towards social inclusion and the overall well-being of adolescents with intellectual disabilities (IDs). The paper is premised on the ecological systems theory which assumes that human development and behaviour are a contextual specific phenomenon. The study employed the qualitative methodology within the phenomenological approach. Unstructured interviews were used to collect data from 6 purposively sampled parents of adolescents with IDs. From the findings, it emerged that parents’ roles are influenced by family dynamics, community resources, societal structures, and available resources. The study revealed that parents lack the knowledge and skills and face financial constraints to support their adolescent children with IDs. The study suggests that professional support and informal training should be provided to parents and school leavers with IDs. As a recommendation, parents should be encouraged to join groups for parents of children with disabilities such as Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association.
Keywords	Adolescents, asexual, counselling, intellectual disability, support,
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 2, March-April 2025
Published On	2025-04-30
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.41887
Short DOI	https://doi.org/g9g74c

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Unseen Heroes: Parental Perceived Roles in Supporting Out-of-school Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities in Zimbabwe

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