„Nekad su mi znali reći da nisam bolja od svog sina“ - stigma obitelji temeljem intelektualnih teškoća člana obitelji
"They Used to Tell me That I'm no Better than My Son"-Family Stigma Based on Intellectual Disability of a Family Member

Summary/Abstract: This paper is about family stigma arising from the intellectual disability of a family member. The aim of this study was to obtain insight into the perspectives of family members of people with various types of intellectual disabilities about family stigma. The research question was ˈHow do family members of people with intellectual disabilities experience family stigma?ˈ This study was conducted on a purposive sample of 22 family members of people with different types of intellectual disability (10 mothers, three fathers, two sisters, five brothers, one grandmother and one grandfather). At the time of the study, they were all living in Zagreb, and their family members with intellectual disabilities were members of different associations or institutions for people with intellectual disabilities. The semi-structured interview was the method in this qualitative research. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as the data analysis method. The findings about family stigma indicated pity, mothers being blamed, imposed expectations and responsibilities on brothers and sisters, devaluation of the person based on having a family member with intellectual disability, work discrimination of mothers who have children with intellectual disability, and isolation. These results confirm earlier findings from different studies about the family stigma of intellectual disability, specifically with respect to loss of status in society and social devaluation of the family. Family stigma due to intellectual disability results in feelings of loneliness and emotional pain.

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