What do friendships mean to people with learning disabilities? Rachel Brackenridge and Karen McKenzie describe a study designed to explore the qualities that individuals look for in their friends

Friendships are important to most people, including those with a learning disability (Cummins and Lau 2003). Not only do they provide non-judgemental warmth and understanding, friendships allow the development and confirmation of self-identity and can raise and sustain self-esteem (Firth and Rapley 1990). Furthermore, social support is believed to act as a protective factor with regard to some mental health problems, such as depression (Brown and Harris 1978).