Who Lives Where and Why? Residential Changes Across Adulthood in Persons With Down Syndrome

Although lifespans have increased for adults with Down syndrome, few studies have examined changes in residential arrangements across adulthood. Using datasets from sibling (Phase I) and parent (Phase II) reporters of individuals with Down syndrome, this study examined: percentages of adults who lived with or away from parents during their 20s, 30s, and 40s–50s; changes over adulthood in offspring and parental functioning; and predictors of leaving the parental home. In these secondary data analyses, we examined 250 adults with Down syndrome in Phase I and 703 adults with Down syndrome in Phase II. In both phases, gradual declines in living with parents occurred from the 20s to the 30s, more rapid declines in the 40s–50s. When adults with Down syndrome were aged 40–59, both adults and parents showed health and functional declines. Older ages of adults with Down syndrome and, in the 40s–50s group, presumed parental functional declines both predicted adults with Down syndrome leaving their parents' homes. Practical, policy, and research implications are discussed.