Quality of Life of the Families with Children with Disability in Latvia. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

The goal of the research is to study the quality of life of families with children with disability and the factors affecting it, accentuating the role the social policy plays in ensuring the quality of life. Following objectives were set in order to reach the goal of the research: 1. to give a theoretical account of the quality of life from the sociological perspective; 2. to describe the research approaches of family quality of life; 3. to describe the support for the families in the context of state policy and 4. to explore the life condition and satisfaction with quality of life of families with children with disability in the context of family quality of life domains. The hypothesis of the research: The support provided through the social policy to the families with children with disability recompense their quality of life in any of the areas of quality of life. Methods used in the research: an inquiry, using structured interviews and an analysis of normative acts. The structure of the promotion work The promotion work is structured into four chapters that include theoretical substantiation and the results obtained in the research. The 1st chapter gives theoretical explanation of quality of life that contains short description of the development of quality of life concept, clarification of the concept of quality of life, as well as explanatory approaches of quality of life in the sociological context; the last part of the chapter gives a description of the specifics of the study of quality of life. The 2nd chapter is dedicated to indication of the specifics of family quality of life research that includes a theoretical clarification of family quality of life and characteristics of specific aspects of the research of family quality of life. Based on the international studies, this chapter reflects different approaches to the study of family life quality and analyzes the areas that have been highlighted in different international studies as the ones that describe family life quality. The content of the chapter includes international studies only, because the studies done in Latvia do not feature the aspects connected with family life quality that would describe approaches and areas of family life quality. The 3rd chapter gives an account of the state social support to the families with children with disability, as well as an explanation of different aspects of disability. The 4th chapter begins with an analysis of previous studies in the area of family quality of life that is followed by the description of research methods and sampling, as well as analysis of research data about the quality of life of families with children with disability in Latvia. The analysis of the research data is laid out in accordance with the quality of life domains. Based on the research results, it can be concluded that the hypothesis that was made in the beginning of the work was not confirmed, because the support provided through the social policy recompence the family quality of life in the area of material wellbeing; but the support in other areas of family quality of life is either inadequate or the families face different obstacles in obtaining the support provided by the state and municipalities. The amount of work is 152 pages. The content of work is formed on the bases of 136 bibliographic sources that include 37 normative documents, 99 special scientific literature, informative and statistical literature.