29 Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Volume 3 Issue 1 March 2009 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd RESEARCH L Taggart R McMillan University of Ulster, Northern Ireland A Lawson Judith Trust, London Abstract This study examined the personal characteristics and social context of two groups of women with learning disabilities and psychiatric disorders who resided in some form of community residential facility. One group of women had been admitted to hospital in the past 12 months (N = 20) and the other had been maintained in the community without any admissions (N = 33). A prospective natural group comparison design was employed over a 12-month period to study any differences between the groups. Data was collected from the women’s key workers using a pro forma and three standardised instruments: Index of Social Competence, Aberrant Behaviour Checklist and the PAS-ADD Checklist. The groups were matched on age and level of learning disabilities. Differences were found between the groups’ behavioural and psychiatric profiles. Anti-psychotic medication was the first line of treatment. A non-significant trend was found on negative life experiences, and a binary logistic regression analysis confirmed that high levels of challenging behaviour and having behavioural/mental health management strategies in place predicted hospital admission. The findings of this study are discussed and improvements are explored. Key words learning disability; psychiatric disorders; women; predictors; hospital admission Predictors of hospital admission for women with learning disabilities and psychiatric disorders compared with women maintained in community settings Background There is strong empirical evidence that people with learning disabilities are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders than those without. Estimates of prevalence rates vary with operational definitions, the population studied and the method employed to screen for such conditions. Studies employing community representative samples of adults with learning disabilities estimate prevalence rates of between 14% and 50% (Cooper & Bailey, 2001; Deb et al, 2001; Taylor et al, 2004). Likewise, there is a growing understanding of the factors that predispose, precipitate and/or maintain psychiatric disorders in people with learning disabilities, focusing on a bio-psycho-social framework (IASSISD, 2001). Regardless of this growing insight, few studies have reported specifically on the mental health of women with learning disabilities. There are a small number of studies that indicate that women are more likely than men with learning disabilities to develop depression and anxiety disorders (Benson, 1985; Meins, 1993; Lunsky & Benson, 2001; Tsiouris, 2001; Lunsky, 2003), although other studies have found no gender differences (Reynolds & Baker, 1988; Dagnan & Sandhu, 1999). In age- related psychiatric disorders, Cooper and Holland (2007) in a review of the literature reported that females are more likely to develop dementia, and particularly Alzheimer’s disease, as they will outlive men with learning disabilities. Research is less clear, however, regarding the prevalence rates of eating disorders, substance abuse and severe mental illness for women with learning disabilities. Box 1, overleaf, shows factor involved in low self-esteem and disempowerment in women. Taggart and colleagues (2008), in a recent review of the literature on women with learning disabilities and psychiatric disorders, have attempted to explain why this group may be more vulnerable to developing such conditions. In addition