2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
PS-2
Title: How do Adults with Williams Syndrome Perceive Their Own Levels of Social Vulnerability?
Authors: Marisa H. Fisher, Emma Lough
Introduction: Individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS) display an extreme pro-social drive to engage with other people
(Järvinen et al., 2013), and are commonly described as being overly-friendly and trusting, with a lack of social inhibitions (Little et
al., 2013). The unique social profile of individuals with WS is thought to make them highly vulnerable and at risk of victimization
(Thurman & Fisher, 2015). While specific risks have been associated with victimization of adults with WS, less is known about
whether individuals with WS recognize their own vulnerabilities. As the majority of extant research relies on parent reports, it is
unclear how individuals with WS perceive their own levels of vulnerability. Their insights are crucial when designing
interventions. Thus, the current study compares parent to self-report ratings of social vulnerability of adults with WS.
Method: Participants included 28 adults with WS (22 male) and their parents (25 mothers). On average, adults with WS were
27.7 years (SD = 8.4) and average full-scale IQ was 69.11 (15.28). Parents completed the Social Vulnerability Questionnaire (SVQ;
Fisher et al., 2012) online. Participants with WS completed an adapted version of the SVQ (simplified language; visual rating
scale) with a research assistant.
Results: There was a significant difference between how socially vulnerable parents reported their child to be (mean = 67.32, SD
= 8.05) and how vulnerable individuals with WS saw themselves (mean = 59.5, SD = 8.57; Mann-Whitney U = 193, Z = -3.26,
p<0.001). Specifically, there was a significant difference in five of the six domains on the SVQ (p's<0.01). In those factors that
showed a significant difference, parents consistently reported higher vulnerability levels for their child than the individual with
WS reported for themselves, except in the domain of emotional abuse. On this factor, individuals with WS reported experiencing
significantly higher levels of emotional abuse (e.g. being picked on, peers making fun of him/her) than their parents.
Discussion: The lower ratings of social vulnerability by adults with WS, compared to their parents, indicate these individuals lack
insight into their own behaviors that could lead to victimization. At the same time, the higher ratings for emotional abuse
indicate adults with WS have an acute awareness of how other people treat them. Such findings highlight the need for
interventions that address self-awareness. For example, if individuals with WS do not see themselves as easy to take advantage
of (e.g., many report that they do not talk to strangers and cannot easily be convinced to give away money to others, yet parents
report these behaviors as a problem), then interventions addressing these concerns may be ineffective. Rather, interventions
should first address ways to teach individuals with WS to recognize potentially vulnerable situations and to then teach them how
to handle such situations.
References/Citations:
• Fisher, M.H., Moskowitz, A., & Hodapp, R.M. (2012). Vulnerability and experiences related to social victimization among
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities,
5, 32-48.
• Järvinen, A., Korenberg, J.R., & Bellugi, U. (2013). The social phenotype of Williams syndrome. Current Opinion in
Neurobiology, 23, 1-9.
• Little, K., Riby, D., Janes, E., Clark, F., Fleck, R., & Rodgers, J. (2013). Heterogeneity of social approach behaviour in
Williams syndrome: the role of response inhibition. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34, 959-967.
• Thurman, A.J. & Fisher, M.H. (2015). The Williams syndrome social phenotype: Disentangling the contributions of social
interest and social difficulties. International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities, 49, 191-227.