Exploration the Concept of Death in Adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disabilities and Borderline Intellectual Functioning Based on the Existential Phenomenological Approach

Bereavement and loss are very significant events in the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. While thinking about death and dealing with related questions are common during adolescence, adolescents with intellectual disabilities often receive little information about death, particularly when it comes to the death of their loved ones. The objective of the present research was to clarify the concept of death in adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning, using the existential phenomenology approach.

The research was designed qualitatively and existentially, the research community consisted of adolescents who were studying in special schools located in Bandar Anzali city in 2022. The data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 23 adolescents who had mild intellectual disabilities (IQ: 50-70) and borderline intellectual functioning (IQ: 70-85). The data analysis was performed manually and using the Dickelman method (1992) simultaneously with the data collection process.

In the data analysis, three main themes were extracted: "Death-Related Experiences", "Continuity of Death in the Context of Life" and "Life against Death", and each of these main themes emerged through the analysis of several sub-themes.

The findings of this study, in alignment with the theoretical basis and existential phenomenology research, highlight that adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning perceive death as an existential structure. They also emphasized the need for more awareness of issues related to death. Despite their efforts to make sense of life, they feel that people around them often overlook their developmental needs. These insights, along with other research evidence concerning the issue of existential death, provide valuable information for educational and therapeutic experts. In planning educational and rehabilitation programs for adolescents with intellectual disabilities, it is important to take into account their understanding of existential death, which refers to their awareness of the limitations of one's existence in the context of a time-bound life.