Lying as a compensatory mechanism in adolescents with intellectual disabilities

The purpose of this study was to determine how adolescents with intellectual disabilities use lying as a compensatory mechanism. We were particularly interested in observing how these adolescents’ resort to lying as a social facilitation mechanism. The study involved 33 adolescents with intellectual disabilities aged between 14 and 18 years (M = 15.88, SD = 1.45), of whom 24 were boys (72.7%) and 9 were girls (27.3%). The results showed that adolescents with intellectual disabilities use lying as a compensatory mechanism to cope with the social challenges they face. These perspectives offer practical implications for supporting adolescents with intellectual disabilities in navigating social environments, meeting relational needs, and adapting to the demands of an ever-changing environment.