Stress and anxiety in parents of mentally retarded children

Abstract

Background:Studies comparing the stress perceived by parents of mentally retarded and normal children are limited.Aim:(i) To find whether there exists a difference in the perceived stress between both the parents of mentally retarded children, (ii) to study whether these stresses occur more frequently in parents of mentally retarded children compared with those of normal children, and (iii) to find any correlation between the severity of perceived stressors and the anxiety state of these parents.Methods:This study was conducted in the Child Guidance Clinic of a tertiary care psychiatry hospital. The study sample, comprising 180 subjects, was categorized as: group A (60 parents of profound to moderately mentally retarded children), group B (60 parents of mild to borderline mentally retarded children) and group C (60 parents of children with normal intelligence), which served as the control group. Each parent was evaluated using the Family Interview for Stress and Coping (FISC) in Mental Retardation, and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS).Results:Parents in group A had a significantly higher frequency of stressors and level of anxiety as compared to those in groups B and C. A positive correlation was found between the level of anxiety and stressors.Conclusion:Multifaceted factors made parents in groups A and B more vulnerable to stress compared with parents in the control group.

The Impact of Affiliate Stigma on the Psychological Well‐Being of Mothers of Children with Specific Learning Disabilities in India: The Mediating Role of Subjective Burden

“…The pattern of high burden among caregivers of children with disability has been noted both in the West (Mastrian et al 1996;Kurnat & Moore 1999;Dyson 2003;Kenny & McGilloway 2007) and in India (Edwardraj et al 2010;Divan et al 2012;Shyam et al 2014;Suresh et al 2014). Prior research also shows that caregivers of children with disabilities experience higher stress, anxiety and emotional strain (Dyson 1996;Majumdar et al 2005;Antshel & Joseph 2006;Kenny & McGilloway 2007;Karande et al 2009;Phetrasuwan & Miles 2009;Yang et al 2016), compared with parents of children without disabilities (Baker & McCal 1995). It is of significance to investigate caregiver psychological well-being, as poor well-being could lead to delayed diagnosis and discontinuation of treatment of a child with a disability (Weiss et al 2006).…”

“…Prior research also shows that caregivers of children with disabilities experience higher stress, anxiety and emotional strain (Dyson ; Majumdar et al . ; Antshel & Joseph ; Kenny & McGilloway ; Karande et al . ; Phetrasuwan & Miles ; Yang et al .…”

Psychological status and coping styles of caregivers of individuals with intellectual disability and psychiatric illness

“…After accepting that a child has an intellectual disability, the initial focus of a caregiver's physical and emotional energy would usually centre around training and skill development, combined with a positive hope of improvement (Majumdar, Da Silva, & Fernandes, 2005). After accepting that a child has an intellectual disability, the initial focus of a caregiver's physical and emotional energy would usually centre around training and skill development, combined with a positive hope of improvement (Majumdar, Da Silva, & Fernandes, 2005).…”

“…After accepting that a child has an intellectual disability, the initial focus of a caregiver's physical and emotional energy would usually centre around training and skill development, combined with a positive hope of improvement (Majumdar, Da Silva, & Fernandes, 2005). As the child increases in age, the gradual pace of improvement can also induce a sense of monotony and helplessness regarding the child's condition and subjective feelings of social isolation and life dissatisfaction set in (Majumdar et al, 2005). This could even be to an extent where caregivers often neglected their own chronic medical conditions and poor psychological well-being in favour of the child with disability and the family as a whole (Murphy et al, 2006).…”

Intellectual Disability in India: Recent Trends in Care and Services

“…Given this fact, it is not surprising that overwhelming majority of individuals with IDD live with their families and they have been a great source of support for persons with IDD. There has never been large-scale This innovative Act provides for establishment of National Trust for the welfare of persons with ID and their families, focus on empowerment of individuals with ID and their families through a number of services such as caregiver training programs, health insurance, training centres, greater participation of parent associations and NGO's working in the area in the care process, provision to establish respite and residential care facilities funded by the trust and run by parent associations, issue of guardianship for adults with ID, and for establishing service facilities to promote development of self-help groups of persons with disability to pursue the realization of their rights [ 15 ]. Studies also have reported poor awareness of government legislations and policies about disability benefi ts among families of persons with IDD [ 16 ].…”