Parenting stress of normal and mentally challenged children
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Date
2010
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Publisher
UAS, Dharwad
Abstract
A differential research design to compare the level of parenting stress of normal and
mentally challenged children and to know the influence of child’s, parental and familial
characteristics on parenting stress and general stress was undertaken. Mentally challenged
children studying in special school in local area and normal children studying in normal
school of age group 5 -10 years formed the population. A sample of 30 mentally challenged
children was drawn from two special schools and a proportionate sample of 60 normal
children was drawn from four normal schools. Parenting stress index-short form developed
by Abidin (1995), General stress inventory developed by Ivancevich and Matteson 1980 was
used to assess parenting stress and general stress respectively. Kuppuswamy socio-economic
status scale modified by Mahajan and Gupta (1995) was used to assess socio-economic status
of the family. Maternal temperament was measured by a self structured questionnaire.
The results revealed that 73.3 per cent of parents of mentally challenged children and
21.7 per cent of parents of normal children were in clinically significant level of parenting
stress. Parents with low and high education and occupation level had more parenting stress.
Parents of mentally challenged children experienced significantly more general stress than
parents of normal children. Parents of the first born had higher general stress than later borns.
Fathers of higher educational status had significantly higher general stress among both groups
while mothers of higher educational status had higher general stress only among normal
group. Parenting stress and its components were positively and significantly correlated with
general stress among normal children but non significant in case of mentally challenged
children indicating that almost all parents experienced parenting stress and not general stress.
This implies the need for parental educational program for reduction of parenting stress.
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Keywords
Human Development