Spiritual Needs of Persons with Down Syndrome

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Most of the research on persons with Down syndrome (DS) is second-opinion research, where their families and caregivers are in the focus, while their own feelings, perceptions and opinions are rarely addressed. To value their views, two cross-sectional surveys with assisted questionnaires were initiated in Germany and Poland. It was found that persons with DS from culturally and religiously different countries have similar relational needs and longings, both with respect to concrete others and in terms of God and their trust in a “private” Guardian Angel who is available for them. The main differences lie in their life satisfaction, intrinsic happiness and autonomy, which were higher in the German group. Their needs for social inclusion and participation were clearly perceived during the assisted interviews and this remains a challenging task. Addressing their spiritual needs means to value their individual perceptions, feelings and intentions. However, responding to the spiritual needs of persons with DS should respect their desire for self-determination and autonomy in order to avoid encroachment. To recognize that their spirituality is rather emotion, experience and relation oriented opens new perspectives to challenge our view of what spirituality may be in a performance-oriented society.