Anxiety and Depression in Adults with IDD: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Applications Webinar

Depression and anxiety are the most frequent mental disorders in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). People with IDD may experience more life events due to different living circumstances and limited coping skills. Dr. Hsieh will present current research on risk factors of depression and anxiety and Dr. Scott will provide clinical strategies to help adults with IDD to manage depression and anxiety by improving coping skills to reduce stressors.

Presenter bios:

Kelly Hsieh, PhD is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development, and Associate Director of Evaluation and Statistics for the RRTC on Developmental Disabilities and Health. Her research interests explore the relationship between health risk behaviors and health outcomes including obesity, falls, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and dementia across lifespan among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities using epidemiological approach. She is also interested in investigating efficacy of interventions to improve well-being and quality of life for adults with developmental disabilities.

Haleigh Scott, PhD (hscott8@uic.edu), is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Disability and Human Development.  She is a graduate of The Ohio State University’s Intellectual and Developmental Disability Psychology program. Haleigh’s research focuses on the well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Specifically, she is interested in how psychosocial factors influence mental and physical health outcomes and measurement issues in obtaining health related information from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

RRTCDD and The Arc 2018 Health and Wellness Webinar Series
This webinar is one of six webinars hosted by The Arc and made possible through The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Developmental Disabilities and Health (RRTCDD). RRTCDD has made significant contributions to advance research and practice across the lifespan for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. We hope these webinars will give attendees useful information and strategies to improve health and community participation among people with IDD.