Identifying classes of persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning: a latent class analysis

BACKGROUND: Persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning are often studied as a single group with similar characteristics. However, there are indications that differences exist within this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify classes of persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and to examine whether these classes are related to individual and/or environmental characteristics. METHODS: Latent class analysis was performed using file data of 250 eligible participants with a mean age of 26.1 (SD 13.8, range 3–70) years. RESULTS: Five distinct classes of persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning were found. These classes significantly differed in individual and environmental characteristics. For example, persons with a mild intellectual disability experienced fewer problems than those with borderline intellectual disability. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of five classes implies that a differentiated approach is required towards persons with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1426-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.