It is a wondrous thing that if you manage a small thing like a silent smile at me, unfocused eyes trying so hard to see me... a haphazard touch by your hand, planted somewhere on my body when we play wrestle on the floor. I feel your life, your significance, your purpose. I become happiness, I become healed. I understand my purpose... you are my gift...
Friday 11 November 2022
Monday 3 October 2022
PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AND STRESS
PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AND STRESS
Raj Kumari Gupta*, Harpreet Kaur**
ABSTRACT
The present study examined stress among parents of
children with disabilities. 102 parents formed the sample of this study, 30 of
whom had children without a disability. A stress assessment test with internal
validity of 0.608 was utilised. This test had two parts: physical and mental,
former with 19 items and latter with 21 items. The test was applied to check
differences in stress, gender differences, and differences in mental and
physical stress. Results show that, most parents of disabled children
experience stress, physical and mental stress are significantly correlated,
gender differences in stress experienced occur more in the mental area, and
parents have higher mental stress scores as compared to physical stress.
INTRODUCTION
Diagnosis of intellectual and physical disability in a
child provokes a period of disequilibrium followed eventually by an adjustment
to life with or without undue stress. There are various stresses which emerge and
continue over time. Discrepancies between expectations and the development of
the disabled child continue bringing feelings of loss and grief (1).
A parent shows a series of reactions after knowing
that their child is disabled. These include shock, denial, guilt, sorrow, rejection,
and acceptance. Questions like ‘why me?’ ‘How can it be?’ keep arising without
answers. Some of them undergo tremendous guilt feelings, experience ongoing deep
sorrow, have strong under expectations of achievement, may have unrealistic
goals, may want to escape form reactions, and ultimately turn to accept the
child (2). All this can affect parents differently. Their physical and mental
health suffer (or it is perceived to suffer). Wikler (1) mentions that the continuous
stress chronically affects their lives.
Farber (3) found that initial stress in parents
appears to be sex-linked which shifted with time. Parents of severely disabled
children undergo more overall stress than parents of chronically ill or normal
children. According to Faber (4), jealousy and resentment may also develop in
siblings if the disabled child requires most of his parent's attention, leaving
short tempers and impatience for the others.
Jani (5) in a study examined the social problems
related to the presence of a disabled child in a family. Results indicate that
parental feelings were marked by ongoing anxiety about the future, especially
as the disabled child and parents gets older. Psychological stress with decreased
social interaction. Misunderstandings within family coupled with economic loss and
stress were significant facts associated with the presence of a disabled child in
the family.
Dupont (6) found in a review of a four-year caseload
of a small community mental health centre, that community mental health
services often had a policy of not providing services to families with a
disabled child.
Loeb (7) has expressed that parents of disabled
children face many special stresses. They have little opportunity to explore
their own needs, dreams, and personal challenges.
Fishman et al. (8) in their study examined the role of
parenting stress and parental depression and marital intimacy among parents of
disabled children and developmentally normal children. Results showed that
mothers and fathers of disabled children showed significant greater stress and
depression than parents with non-disabled children.
Heller et al. (9) found that parents of disabled
children, carry a heavy ongoing impact burden in terms of living within the
daily challenges of caring for their disabled child.
Peshawaria et al (10) stated that there were inhibiting
factors affecting parents in trying to cope in caring for disabled children. The
challenge and pressure lie in trying to balance caregiving and ‘normal’ life. Overall
support was mostly lacking.
Seshadri et al (11) reported a direct relationship
between the degree of perceived burden, social emotional burden, disruption of
family routine and disturbance in family interactions and relationships for
parents with disabled children.
Hedov et al. (12) studied self-perceived health in
Swedish parents of disabled children. They found parents of disabled children had
significantly lower, less favourable scores on self-perceived health than did the
control group.
Shin and Crittenden (13) in their study provided
explanations for wellbeing of Korean and American parents of children with
disabilities. Causes of stress for the American parents were specific to the
individual variables. For Korean parents, cultural values that carry social
influences were strongly associated with their experience of stress.
Laurvick et al. (14) while working on physical and
mental health of parents caring for a disabled child found that factors
positively related with better mental health were the following: the parent working
full time or part-time outside the home.
Kermanshahi et al. (15) in their study on perceptions
of living with children with disabilities found six major themes: challenging
the process of acceptance, painful emotional reactions, the interrelatedness of
parent health and child's wellbeing, struggles to deal with oneself or the
child, inadequate support from family and community, and the anxiety related to
the child's uncertain future.
Studies in literature indicate that parents of
children with disabilities, would have high stress and low health scores. On
the other hand, Mahoney (16) documented some positive effects. He found that
the a disabled child can have an integrative effect by focusing the family's
energy in a concerned, loving manner, thereby minimizing some of the other day
to day problems. Some parents expressed a new appreciation for life and
ordinary things they used to take for granted.
The present study was planned with the hypothesis
that, a) Parents of Children with Disabilities (PCD) will experience significantly
greater stress as compared to Parents of Children with No Disability (PCND), b)
Parents of children with disabilities will experience significantly greater
mental stress than physical stress.
The major findings of this study are that parents of
children with disabilities experience more stress than normal. However, all the
subjects experience higher levels of mental stress than physical stress.
*Address for correspondence
# 3379, Sector 35-D, Chandigarh. U.T. - 160022, India
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks to Ms Harpreet Kaur, for collecting data and
reviewing part of the literature for this study and Dr Nisha Duggal for
collecting some part of the data.
REFERENCES
1. Wikler L. Chronic stresses of families of mentally
Retarded Children. Family relations April 1981; 30(2):281-288.
2. Berdine W H and Blackhurst A E. An introduction to
Special Education, US: little Brown and Company. 1985 ; 618-625.
3. Farber B. Family organization in crisis maintenance
of integration in families with several mentally retarded child. Monograph of
society Research and child development 1960, 25(1).
4. Faber B. Family organization and Parent – Child
communication: parents & siblings of a retarded child. Monograph of society
research and child development 1963; 28 (whole no. 91).
5. Jani MC. Social a mentally retarded child in
family. Dissertation Diploma in Medical and Social Psychology. Bangalore
University 1967.
6. Dupont H. Community mental health centres and
services for the Mentally Retarded. Community Mental Health Journal. Springer,
Netherlands. March 1967; 3 (1).
7. Loeb RC. Group Therapy for parents of mentally
retarded children in Attwood, T. The crydon workshop for the parents of
severely handicapped School age children. Child: Care, Health and development;
5(3): 1979177-188.
8. Fishman S N. Woff L C. and Non S. Marital intimacy
in parents of exceptional children. Canadian journal of Psychiatry 1989; 37(6):
519-5257.
9. Heller T, Hsieh K, and Rowitz L. Maternal and
Paternal caregiving of persons with mental retardation across the life span.
Family relations 1997; 46 (4): 407-115.
10. Peshawaria R, Menon D K, Ganguly R, Roy S, Rajan
Pillay P R S, & Gupta S. A study of Facilitators and Inhibitors that effect
coping in parents of children with mental retardation in India. Asia Pacific
Disability Rehabilitation Journal 1998; 9(1).
11. Seshadri M K, Verma S K, and Prashad. Impact of
mental retardation of child on the family in India. Journal of Clinical
Psychology 2000; 473-498.
12. Hedov G, Anneren G, and Wikblad K. Self perceived
health in Swedish parents of children with Down’s syndrome. Quality of life
research. May 2000; 9( 4).
13. Shin Y J, and Crittenden K S. Well being of
mothers of children with mental retardation : An evaluation of the double ABCX
model in a cross cultural context. Asian Journal of Social Psychology 2003;
6(3): 171-184.
14. Laurvick CL, Msall M E, Silburn S, Bower C, Klerk
N de, Leonard H. Physical and Mental Health of Mothers caring for a child with
Rett syndrome. Pediatrics Sept 2006; 118 (4): e 1152 –e1164.
15. Karmanshahi S M, Vanaki Z, Ahmadi F, Kazemnezad A,
Mordoeh E and Azadfalah P. Iranian Mothers’ perceptions of their lives with
children with mental retardation: A preliminary Phenomenological Investigation.
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities 2008; ISSN, DOI 10.1007/S
10882-008-9099-3.
16. . Mahoney S C. Observations Concerning Counseling
with parents of mentally retarded children. American Journal of Mental
deficiency 1958; 63: 81-86.
Monday 13 June 2022
Prayer Request
On June 8, 2022 at 9:21 AM GMT+5:30 forms@life.church wrote:
Formstack Submission For: Spiritual Support - Prayer
(Banner)
Submitted at 06/07/22 10:51 PM
First Name :
Pieter
Email :
labusch@loquat.co.za
Gender : Male
Prayer Topic :
Children
Prayer Request: In RSA we get little support from state and community with our 2 adult profoundly disabled kids. My wife and I are 70 years old this year, caring for Anke 42 and Markus 39 we sometimes feel so afraid and alone...
Response:
From: Shelton Johnson spiritualsupport@youversion.com
Sent: Thursday, 09 June 2022 01:40
Subject: Re: Children
Dear Pieter,
Thank you for reaching out to the SPIRITUAL SUPPORT TEAM. Very much appreciate your commitment in taking care of your children for so many years. You both have weathered so many storms with OUR LORD'S HELP. God shall continue to do the same for you and let me pray with you and for you, your wife and your 2 children now PIETER.
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,
Please Lord, now they are aged, grant a Supernatural
way, to comfort them and provide some relief through some agencies LORD.
Please move in the hearts of people around this
couple, that they come forward to help them.
LORD send, help. Please Lord send help and Glorify
Your Holy Name.
Thank you for hearing our prayers, LORD. AMEN
Shelton Johnson
Spiritual Support Team
Serve at YouVersion — Spiritual Support Team
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