Marriage and family life in people with developmental disability

It has been reported that people with developmental disability are less likely to marry and have a family life compared to the general population. However, it has yet to be fully ascertained if this is true. This study aimed to establish the number of married people with developmental disability on the Leicestershire Learning Disability Register, whether or not any differences exist with regard to marriage and family life between ethnic groups in adults with developmental disability. The study sample was obtained from the Leicestershire Learning Disability Register and classified by ethnic origin as Asian, White or other. Case ascertainment of marital status showed that 4.6% of the study sample had ever married, the rate in the white ethnic group was 4.4% while in the Asian group 9.4%, the difference not being statistically significant. Individuals from the Asian group who had ever married, were significantly younger, significantly more likely to have children living within the household and had a significantly lower mean IQ than their white counterparts.