Mental Retardation and Emotional Disorders: A Test for Increased Vulnerability to Stress

The hypothesis was that mental retardation is associated with a special vulnerability to stress. In a 2 (Groups) X 3 (Conditions) factorial experiment, mildly retarded and nonretarded adults waited to perform a counting task under conditions designed to induce stress, no particular emotional state, or relaxation. Physiological, behavioural, and self-report measures confirmed that the Stress Condition actually induced mild levels of stress immediately prior to the performance of the task. Contrary to prediction, the study found that stress led to similar improvements in task performance for both retarded and nonretarded subjects. The results were discussed in terms of the absence of experimental evidence for the widely held belief that people with mental retardation have special difficulties managing stress. The possibility that this belief is an invalid, stereotypic conception of people with mental retardation cannot be dismissed at this point in time.