Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-hn9fh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-30T15:48:20.689Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Post-traumatic stress disorder in people with intellectual disabilities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2025

Paul Wallang Open the ORCID record for Paul Wallang [Opens in a new window] ,
Emily Watson  and
Jane McCarthy
Paul Wallang*
Affiliation:
Healthcare Director at Clinical Partners, London, UK; Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London, UK; and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Northampton, UK.
Emily Watson
Affiliation:
Core psychiatric trainee at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
Jane McCarthy
Affiliation:
Consultant psychiatrist and Lead for Learning Disability Services at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Worthing, UK, an honorary associate professor at The University of Auckland, New Zealand, and a visiting senior lecturer at King’s College London, UK.
*
Correspondance Paul Wallang. Email: Paul.Wallang@clinical-partners.co.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

In the past 20 years, there has been growing interest in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with intellectual disabilities. It is now widely recognised that individuals with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be affected by traumatic experiences than those without. The authors discuss advancements in understanding trauma and PTSD in individuals with intellectual disabilities, as well as improvements in clinical assessment and treatment. They also emphasise the need for further research into the effects of trauma and PTSD on this vulnerable and often marginalised population.

Keywords

Trauma- and stressor-related disordersintellectual disabilitycomorbidityeducation and trainingdiagnosis and classification

Information

Type
Article
Information
BJPsych Advances , Volume 31 , Issue 5 , September 2025 , pp. 267 - 276
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edn) (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Publishing.Google Scholar
Araten-Bergman, T, Bigby, C (2023) Violence prevention strategies for people with intellectual disabilities: a scoping review. Australian Social Work, 76: 72–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewin, CR, Atwoli, L, Bisson, JI, et al (2025) Post-traumatic stress disorder: evolving conceptualization and evidence, and future research directions. World Psychiatry, 24: 52–80.10.1002/wps.21269CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Byrne, G (2018) Prevalence and psychological sequelae of sexual abuse among individuals with an intellectual disability: a review of the recent literature. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 22: 294–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Byrne, G (2022) A systematic review of treatment interventions for individuals with intellectual disability and trauma symptoms: a review of the recent literature. Trauma, Violence and Abuse 23: 541–54.10.1177/1524838020960219CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carrigan, N, Allez, K (2017) Cognitive behaviour therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in a person with an autism spectrum condition and intellectual disability: a case study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30: 326–35.10.1111/jar.12243CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catani, C, Sossalla, IM (2015) Child abuse predicts adult PTSD symptoms among individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 6: 1600.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Devaney, J, Hassiotis, A, Katona, C, et al (2019) Ascertainment and prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 12: 211–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
D’Elia, D, Carpinelli, L, Savarese, G (2022) Post-traumatic play in child victims of adverse childhood experiences: a pilot study with the MCAST-Manchester child attachment story task and the coding of PTCP markers. Children (Basel) 9: 1991.Google ScholarPubMed
Finzi-Dottan, R, Dekel, R, Lavi, T, et al (2006) Post-traumatic stress disorder reactions among children with learning disabilities exposed to terror attacks. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 47: 144–51.10.1016/j.comppsych.2005.05.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hall, JC, Jobson, L, Langdon, PE (2014) Measuring symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in people with intellectual disabilities: the development and psychometric properties of the Impact of Event Scale-Intellectual Disabilities (IES-IDs). British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53: 315–32.10.1111/bjc.12048CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Houck, EJ, Dracobly, JD (2022) Trauma-informed care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: from disparity to policies for effective action. Perspectives on Behavior Science 46: 67–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jahoda, A, Dagnan, D, Hastings, R, et al (2024) Adapting psychological interventions for people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities: a behavioural activation exemplar. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 37: e13199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karatzias, T, Brown, M, Taggart, L, et al (2019) A mixed-methods randomized controlled feasibility trial of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) plus standard care (SC) versus SC alone for DSM-5 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32: 806–18.10.1111/jar.12570CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kildahl, AN, Helverschou, SB, Bakken, TL, et al (2020) ‘If we do not look for it, we do not see it’: clinicians’ experiences and understanding of identifying post-traumatic stress disorder in adults with autism and intellectual disability. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33: 1119–32.10.1111/jar.12734CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koukourikos, K, Tsaloglidou, A, Tzeha, L, et al (2021) An overview of play therapy. Materia Socio-Medica, 33: 293–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langdon, PE, Bisson, JI, Rogers, G, et al (2023) Evaluation of an adapted version of the International Trauma Questionnaire for use by people with intellectual disabilities. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62: 471–82.10.1111/bjc.12421CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, LP, Yen, CF, Kuo, FY, et al (2009) Sexual assault of people with disabilities: results of a 2002-2007 national report in Taiwan. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30: 969–75.10.1016/j.ridd.2009.02.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mason-Roberts, S, Bradley, A, Karatzias, T, et al (2018) Multiple traumatisation and subsequent psychopathology in people with intellectual disabilities and DSM-5 PTSD: a preliminary study. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 62: 730–6.10.1111/jir.12505CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCausland, D, McCallion, P, Cleary, E, et al (2016) Social connections for older people with intellectual disability in Ireland: results from wave one of IDS-TILDA. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 29: 71–82.10.1111/jar.12159CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McNally, P, Taggart, L, Shevlin, M. (2021) Trauma experiences of people with an intellectual disability and their implications: a scoping review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 34: 927–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mevissen, L, de Jongh, A (2010) PTSD and its treatment in people with intellectual disabilities: a review of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 30: 308–16.10.1016/j.cpr.2009.12.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mevissen, L, Didden, R, de Jongh, A (2016) Assessment and treatment of PTSD in people with intellectual disabilities. In Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (eds Martin, C, Preedy, V, Patel, V): 281–99. Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mevissen, L, Didden, R, de Jongh, A, et al (2020) Assessing posttraumatic stress disorder in adults with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 13: 110–26.10.1080/19315864.2020.1753267CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mpofu, E, Houck, EL, Linden, AD, et al (2020) Intellectual and developmental disabilities wellbeing. In Sustainable Community Health: Systems and Practices in Diverse Settings (ed Mpofu, E): 461–98. Palgrave Macmillan.10.1007/978-3-030-59687-3_14CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2024) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NICE Guideline NG116) (revised 15 Aug 2024). NICE (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG116). Accessed 12 Feb 2025.Google Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Research (2025) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (Trauma-AID). NIHR (https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/17/125/04). Accessed 17 Feb 2025.Google Scholar
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (2025) Learning Disability – Applying All Our Health (updated 6 January 2025). Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learning-disability-applying-all-our-health/learning-disabilities-applying-all-our-health). Accessed 17 Feb 2025.Google Scholar
Ooms-Evers, M, Graaf-Loman, S, Duijvenbode, N, et al (2021) Intensive clinical trauma treatment for children and adolescents with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning: a pilot study. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 117: 104030.10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104030CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penninx Quevedo, R, de Jongh, A, Bouwmeester, S, et al (2021) EMDR therapy for PTSD symptoms in patients with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and comorbid psychotic disorder: a case series. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 117: 104044.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Randell, E, Wright, M, Milosevic, S, et al (2022) Sensory integration therapy for children with autism and sensory processing difficulties: the SenITA RCT. Health Technology Assessment, 26: 1–140.10.3310/TQGE0020CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rittmannsberger, D, Weber, G, Lueger-Schuster, B (2020a) Applicability of the post-traumatic stress disorder gate criterion in people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities: do additional adverse events impact current symptoms of PTSD in people with intellectual disabilities? Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33: 1100–12.10.1111/jar.12732CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rittmannsberger, D, Yanagida, T, Weber, G, et al (2020b) The association between challenging behavior and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in people with intellectual disabilities: a Bayesian mediation analysis approach. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 64: 538–50.10.1111/jir.12733CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schipper-Eindhoven, SM, de Knegt, NC, Mevissen, L, et al (2024) EMDR treatment for people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review about difficulties and adaptations. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14: 1328310.10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1328310CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tomsa, R, Gutu, S, Cojocaru, D, et al (2021) Prevalence of sexual abuse in adults with intellectual disability: systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18: 1980.10.3390/ijerph18041980CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsakanikos, E, Bouras, N, Costello, H, et al (2007) Multiple exposure to life events and clinical psychopathology in adults with intellectual disability. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 42: 24–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wigham, S, Hatton, C, Taylor, JL (2011a) The effects of traumatizing life events on people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 4: 19–39.10.1080/19315864.2010.534576CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wigham, S, Hatton, C, Taylor, JL (2011b) The Lancaster and Northgate Trauma Scales (LANTS): the development and psychometric properties of a measure of trauma for people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32: 2651–9.10.1016/j.ridd.2011.06.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wigham, S, Hatton, C, Taylor, JL (2021) Short report and initial evaluation of the factor structure of the Lancaster and Northgate Trauma Scales (LANTS). Research in Developmental Disabilities, 112: 103914.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (2019) International Classification of Diseases for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics (11th Revision). WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.