Stressors of Parents with Young Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Parents of very young (12 to 60 months) handicapped (N = 31) and nonhandicapped (N = 33) children completed the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress-Short Form Adapted (QRS-SFA) (Salisbury, 1986b) as a mailed survey. Responses to the 48 True-False items of the QRS-SFA were analyzed for each of the blocking variables (Child's Sex, Relation to Child, Marital Status, Group) using ANOVA and t-test procedures. Principle findings were (1) no significant differences between groups on overall levels of stress, (2) no significant differences between groups for Child's Sex or Relation to Child, (3) significantly more stress reported by single parents and by single parents of handicapped children, and (4) no significant interactions. Results were interpreted as providing preliminary comparative data at variance with much of the research in which only parents (mothers) of handicapped children were respondents. Areas for future research were discussed.
Keywords