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- Parental Adjustment to Disability, Stress Indicators and the Influence of Social SupportPublication . Felizardo, Sara; Jales Ribeiro, Esperança; Amante, Maria JoãoResearch into families of children and young people with disability maintain that parents or caregivers seem to experience higher levels of global stress than parents of children without disabilities, thereby presenting a high risk of developing disorders in their health and quality of life. The aim of this study is to understand the differences in parental stress and social support among groups of parents whose children have different disabilities in the context of parental adjustment to disability. Considering that adjustment is related to the effectiveness with which the family uses its resources and the support of their social network, we intend to analyse the differences of stress and social support among groups of parents of children with different problems and to clarify the relationships between the variables under study in order to adapt family intervention strategies. For this purpose a comparative, descriptive-correlational study was undertaken. The convenience sample included 152 parents of children with different disabilities (82 with intellectual disability, 37 with motor problems and 33 with autism) supported by schools and institutions in Viseu. The instruments used were: a Portuguese version of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), the Social Support Questionnaire – short version (Pinheiro & Ferreira, 2001) and a Parental Questionnaire (demographic and family data). Data were collected in schools and institutions that support people with disabilities, located in the Municipality of Viseu (Portugal). The results revealed significant differences between groups of parents in the partial results of parental stress, specifically in the Hyperactivity/Distract (DI), Acceptability (AC) and Adaptability (AD), dimensions of the Child Domain subscale (CD stress) and the Role Restriction (RO), dimension of Parent Domain subscale (PD stress). With regard to social support dimensions, we found significant differences between parents in the extent and availability of the social support network (SSQN).
- Families of children with SEN: perceptions of social support and parental well-beingPublication . Felizardo, Sara; Ferreira, Joaquim; Pereira, Marcelino; Jales Ribeiro, Esperança; Amante, Maria JoãoResearch on the potential of social support in families of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) has been maintained that this construct influences dimensions of parental and family functioning, in particular, aspects related to health and well-being of parents. In the same vein, national and international laws give a central role to parents in the defense of educational interests of the children. Therefore the promotion of quality of life and well-being are key areas in educational and therapeutic contexts. The present study aims to: i) undertaken a comparative analysis of parents of children with and without SEN in relation to social support and parental well-being (life satisfaction); ii) understanding the relationships between variables of social support and welfare. This is a non-experimental and cross-correlated study and a non probabilistic and convenience sample of 301 parents or caregivers of children with and without SEN. Data were collected in groups of schools and institutions of support for disabled children on the district of Viseu (Portugal). The gathering instruments were the Social Support Questionnaire – short version (Pinheiro & Ferreira, 2001); Life Satisfaction Scale (Neto, Barros, & Barros, 1990; Simões, 1992); Parental Questionnaire (sociodemographic, family and school data). The results show that there are significant and positive correlations between social support and well-being (in the dimension life satisfaction). The statistics analyzes show that the two parents groups have significant differences in welfare and partly on social support (satisfaction with support). Regarding subgroups of parents of children with SEN (cognitive and motor limitations and Autism Spectrum Disorders) we observed significant differences; parents of children with autism showed significantly higher values in social support (availability of support and satisfaction with support) and life satisfaction. The study highlights the predictive value of support in well-being (life satisfaction).
- Parental adjustment to disability, stress indicators and the influence of social support.Publication . Felizardo, Sara; Jales Ribeiro, Esperança; Amante, Maria JoãoProblem Statement: This study intends to understand the differences in parental stress and social support among parents groups of children with different disabilities in the context of parental adjustment to disability. Research Questions: There are significant differences in the results of stress and social support among parents groups of children with different disabilities, in order to improve intervention strategies with families? Purpose of Study: Parental adjustment to disability relates to the effectiveness with which families use the resources of their social network. We intend to analyze stress and social support differences among groups of parents of children with different disabilities and clarify relationships between the variables in order to suit family intervention strategies. Research Methods: A comparative research of descriptive correlational nature was undertaken. The sample of convenience included 152 parents of children with different disabilities (82 with intellectual disability; 37 with motor problems; 33 with autism) supported by institutions the Viseu municipality. The gathering instruments were: Parenting Stress Index - Portuguese version (Abidin & Santos, 2003), Social Support Questionnaire and Parental Questionnaire. Findings: The results revealed significant differences between groups of parents in the partial results of parental stress, specifically in the subscales Hyperactivity, Acceptance and Adaptation Flexibility (Child Domain), as well as subscale Paper Restriction (Parental Domain). With respect to social support, we found differences in the extent and availability of social support network. Conclusions: Knowing the specific dimensions of parental functioning, as well as aspects of social support, allows us to design intervention strategies targeted to the family needs and resources, promoting the quality of the parenting exercise and a better parental adjustment to disability.