Families where the mother has an intellectual disability need support to counteract possible detrimental life circumstances for the children involved. The aim of this study was to describe social and healthcare professionals' experiences of providing support for families with maternal intellectual disability and specifically focused on if and how they believed the support practices benefited the children. Seven focus group interviews were performed with 29 professional informants. The transcripts were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Three themes were identified: support practices, pedagogical strategies when supporting families with maternal intellectual disability, and maintaining the child perspective. The support practices mainly dealt with parenting skills, which were addressed by a variety of teaching methods and practices, while the children were at risk of not being seen or heard.
PhD Medicine Doktor