In What Contexts, How, and Why Do Transition to Adulthood Interventions Work for Adolescents Living with Disabilities: A Realist Review

Background Transitioning to adulthood is a demanding phase for youth and more challenging for youth with disabilities. Many transition interventions have been implemented to support transition preparedness for youth with disabilities. However, it is still unclear how these interventions work under different contexts. Objective The aim of this realist review is to review the literature on different interventions aimed to support adolescents transitioning to adulthood. The research question was: How (Mechanism) and in what circumstances (Context) transition to adulthood interventions work to improve education, employment, and community integration skills outcomes for youth with disabilities (Outcome)? Methods This review adhered to the essential steps for realist reviews, employing Context-Mechanism-Outcome Configurations (CMOCs) heuristic tools to formulate realist causal explanations. Results Of the 32 documents that met the inclusion criteria, vocational and educational skills were the most frequently reported outcomes. The review found that transition interventions with inclusive real-life environments that cater specifically to the needs of youth without stigmatization are instrumental in empowering youth's self-advocacy, confidence, and self-determination and enabling active participation and engagement. Conclusions While this review provides actionable insights, future research should explore the long-term sustainability and scalability of transition interventions.