Current Parental Stress in Maltreating and Nonmaltreating Families of Children With Multiple Disabilities

• NCJ Number: 136525
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (1992) Pages: 155-163
• Author(s): M I Benedict; L M Wulff; R B White
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): MCJ-240504-02-0
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the level of perceived stress and burden of care in families of children with multiple disabilities; the study hypothesized that families with a history of child maltreatment would have higher stress levels.

Abstract

The level of stress of 257 parents was measured using Friedrich's revised version of Holroyd's Questionnaire on Resources and Stress. Twenty-five of the respondents (9.7 percent) had substantiate maltreatment reports. The findings suggested that there was not significant difference in perceived stress levels between families with an abuse or neglect history and families with no such history. It may be that stress related to caring for children with multiple disabilities was mitigated by the support received as part of a multidisciplinary care system or from friends and relatives. Other possible explanations for the results are that families reporting higher stress levels are those with greater candor or insight into the problems associated with caring for a disabled child. Perhaps parents who had a history of neglect had disassociated themselves from their child, thereby not experiencing the level of stress that a more involved parent would experience. 4 tables and 35 references (Author abstract modified)