The effect of slow-paced breathing on stress management in adolescents with intellectual disability S. Laborde, 1,2 M. S. Allen, 3 N. Göhring 1 & F. Dosseville 2 1 Institute of Psychology, Department of Performance Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany 2 University of Caen, Caen, France 3 School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia Abstract Background Intellectual disabilities often create a state of chronic stress for both the person concerned and their significant others (family, caregivers). The development of stress management methods is therefore important for the reduction of stress in persons with intellectual disability. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of slow-paced breathing on stress symptoms experienced by adolescents with intellectual disabilities during a cognitive task under time pressure. Method Fourteen adolescents with intellectual disabilities (M age = 17.39 years, range 15–19 years) took part in two laboratory sessions – a slow-paced breathing session (experimental condition) and an audiobook session (control condition) – the order of which was counterbalanced across participants. Vagal tone was measured through heart rate variability to index stress management. Results No difference in vagal tone was observed at baseline between experimental and control conditions. Compared with the control condition, vagal tone was significantly higher during the experimental condition. Conclusions The slow-paced breathing task enhanced stress management to a greater extent than did listening to an audiobook. Slow-paced breathing seems to be an easy to learn stress management technique that appears as an effective auxiliary method of lowering stress in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Keywords coping, emotion, heart rate variability, parasympathetic activity, pressure, RMSSD Introduction Having an intellectual disability (ID) is associated with high levels of stress (e.g., Forte et al. 2011). This association can be explained in part by additional difficulties in adaptation and finding everyday situations overdemanding, as well as being socially marginalised (de Bildt et al. 2005). Moreover, an individual with IDs often use maladaptive coping strategies to cope with stress (Hartley & Maclean 2008). The stress experienced by individuals with IDs is often transferred to family members and caregivers (e.g., Hassall & Rose 2005). In the long term, if chronic stress in persons with IDs is not properly addressed, it can lead to serious complications including depression (Hartley & Maclean 2009), impaired cognitive functions (Heyman & Hauser- Cram 2015), physical health problems (Lunsky 2008) and maladaptive coping strategies such as substance abuse (Didden et al. 2009). It can also lead to family members and caregivers experiencing depression 560 Correspondence: Dr Sylvain Laborde, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University, Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6, 50933 Cologne, Germany (e-mail: s.laborde@dshs-koeln.de). Journal of Intellectual Disability Research doi: 10.1111/jir.12350 VOLUME 61 PART 6 pp 560–567 JUNE 2017 © 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd