 Be the parent of an adult child with an intellectual disability in Quebec; an exploratory qualitative study 
This study was carried out in response to a request from stakeholders of a CIUSSS questioning the realities of parents of adults living with an intellectual disability (ID). Indeed, the health system is facing new challenges and issues regarding the aging of people with ID and the services offered to them as well as to their parents. It therefore seems essential to explore the experiences of the parents of these adults in order to improve the services intended for them. The objective of this qualitative phenomenological study is to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of parents of an adult with ID and receiving adaptation or rehabilitation services from an integrated university health and social services center (CIUSSS) at the regard to their parental experience. Parents were met in a focus group. Interviews with participants reveal complex realities related to being a parent of an adult with ID. Their life situation makes them experience difficult realities, such as emotional and functional difficulties and problems related to the services offered (or not offered) by the health and social services system. However, participants also mentioned positive aspects of their realities, such as the development of self-expression, the capacity to defend one's rights and empathy, as well as a distance from performance and a better understanding of the ID.