This study found that mothers of children with visual impairments aged 8–87 months experienced more stress than did mothers of children with no disability, particularly in areas involving the children's behavior and when the children had multiple disabilities. The major resource for the families was the availability of social support.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbidinR. R. (1995). Parenting Stress Index: Professional manual.Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
2.
BaileyD. B., BlascoP. M., & SimeonssonR. J. (1992). Needs expressed by mothers and fathers of young children with disabilities. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 97, 1–10.
3.
BarakatL. P., & LinneyJ. A. (1992). Children with physical handicaps and their mothers: The interrelation of social support, maternal adjustment, and child adjustment. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 17, 725–739.
4.
BeckmanP. J. (1991). Comparison of mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of the effect of young children with and without disabilities. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 95, 585–595.
5.
BoyceG. C., BehlD., MortensenL., & AkersJ. (1991). Child characteristics, family demographics and family processes: Their effects on the stress experienced by families of children with disabilities. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 4, 273–288.
6.
BreslauN., StaruchK. S., & MortimerE. A. (1982). Psychological distress in mothers of disabled children. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 136, 682–686.
7.
CameronS. J., & OrrR. R. (1989). Stress in families of school-aged children with delayed mental development. Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation, 2, 137–144.
8.
DunstC. J., TrivetteC. M., & CrossA. H. (1986). Roles and support networks of mothers of handicapped children. In FewellR. R. & VadayP. F. (Eds.), Families of handicapped children (pp. 167–192). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
9.
DysonL. L. (1991). Families of young children with handicaps: Parental stress and family functioning. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 95, 623–629.
10.
FaganJ., & SchorD. (1993). Mothers of children with spina bifida: Factors related to maternal psychosocial functioning. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 63, 146–152.
11.
FriedrichW. N., GreenbergM. T., & CrnicK. A. (1993). A short-form of the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 88, 41–48.
12.
GoldbergS., MorrisP., SimmonsR. J., FowlerR. S., & LevisonH. (1990). Chronic illness in infancy and parenting stress: A comparison of three groups of parents. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 15, 347–358.
13.
HancockI., WilgoshL., & McDonaldL. (1990). Parenting a visually impaired child: The mother's perspective. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 84, 411–413.
14.
HansonM. J., & HanlineM. F. (1990). Parenting a child with a disability: A longitudinal study of parental stress and adaptation. Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 234–248.
15.
InnocentiM. S., HuhK., & BoyceG. C. (1992). Families of children with disabilities: Normative data and other considerations on parenting stress. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 12, 403–427.
16.
JanJ. E., FreemanR. D., & ScottE. P. (1977). Visual impairment in children and adolescents.New York: Grune & Stratton.
17.
KallenbachK. (1999). Unterstützende soziale Netzwerke in Familien mit einem schwerst körperbehinderten Kind [Supportive social networks in families of children with very severe physical disabilities]. Heilpädagogische Forschung, 25, 61–74.
18.
KazakA. E. (1987). Families with disabled children: Stress and social networks in three samples. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 15, 137–146.
19.
KazakA. E., ReberML, & CarterA. (1988). Structural and qualitative aspects of social networks in families with young chronically ill children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 13, 171–182.
20.
KazakA. E., & WilcoxB. L. (1984). The structure and function of social support networks in families with handicapped children. American Journal of Community Psychology, 12, 645–661.
21.
KleinG. (1996). Early intervention in Germany. In BrambringM., RauhH., & BeelmannA. (Eds.), Early childhood intervention (pp. 53–71). Berlin: de Gruyter.
22.
KraussM. W. (1993). Child-related and parenting stress: Similarities and differences between mothers and fathers of children with disabilities. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 4, 393–404.
LeyserY., HeinzeA., & KappermanG. (1996). Stress and adaptation in families of children with visual disabilities. Families in Society, 77, 240–249.
25.
LowitzerA. C. (1988). Family characteristics and type of stress in families with children who are handicapped. Exceptional News, 12, 4–8.
26.
QuittnerA. L. (1992). Re-examination research on stress and social support: The importance of contextual factors. In La GrecaA. M. & SiegelL. J. (Eds.), Stress and coping in child health: Advances in pediatric psychology (pp. 85–115). New York: Guilford Press.
27.
StaggV., & CatronT. (1986). Networks of social supports for parents of handicapped children. In FewellR. R. & VadayP. F. (Eds.), Families of handicapped children (pp. 279–295). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
28.
SteinR., & RiessmanC. (1980). The development of an Impact-on-Family Scale: Preliminary findings. Medical Care, 28, 265–472.
29.
TrösterH. (1999). Anforderungen und Belastungen von Müttern mit anfallskranken Kindern [Demands and strains in mothers of children with epilepsy]. Zeitschrift für Medizinische Psychologie, 2, 53–64.
30.
TrösterH., BerschM., RuppertS., & BoenigkH. E. (2000). Determinanten der Belastung von Müttern mit anfallskranken Kindern [Determinants of stress in mothers of children with epilepsy]. Kindheit und Entwicklung, 9, 159–173.
31.
WallanderJ. L., VarniJ. W., BabaniL., BanisH. T., DeHaanC. B., & WilcoxK. T. (1989). Disability parameters, chronic strain, and adaptation of physically handicapped children and their mothers. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 14, 23–42.
