The Relationship Between Severity of Cerebral Palsy in Children and the Levels of Stress Experienced by their Parents.
Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Parenting is inherently stressful at times and several studies have shown that \nbeing a caregiver of a child who is disabled is even more stressful. A number of \nstudies have tried to identify demographic and psychosocial variables which are \npredictive of parenting stress levels. It is obvious from these studies that \nparenting stress is complex as there is no general consensus as to what the \nfactors are which exacerbate or mediate parenting stress in caregivers of \nchildren who are disabled. \nThe aim of this study was therefore to assess the parenting stress levels of \ncaregivers of children who are disabled and to try to establish whether the level \nof the child’s disability influenced parenting stress levels. Further objectives were \nto ascertain whether various psychosocial and demographic variables were \npredictive of parenting stress levels. \nIn order to meet these objectives the Parenting Stress Index/Short Form was \nsent to caregivers of children with cerebral palsy who were attending Frances \nVoorweg School in Johannesburg. Caregivers also completed a demographic \nquestionnaire. The severity of disability of the children was classified using the \nGross Motor Function Classification System. \nThirty-five parenting stress questionnaires were returned to the researcher. \nMeans and frequencies were used to summarise the demographic data. T-tests \nwere performed to establish whether there was any significant difference \nbetween the parenting stress levels of caregivers of children who were more \nfunctionally disabled and those whose children were less disabled. Pearson’s \ncorrelations were used to determine whether there was any correlation between \ndemographic variables and parenting stress levels. \nThe parents of the children in the sample showed clinically significant, and in \nmany cases, pathological levels of parenting stress. This stress was however, \nnot in anyway influenced by the severity of their children’s disabilities. The only \nvariable that correlated strongly to the level of parenting stress was found to be \nthe income level of the family (r=0.8). \nThe results of this study confirm that parenting stress is complex and that it is not \na simple matter to predict the parenting stress levels of caregivers of disabled \nchildren. Therapists should evaluate the needs of each family individually and \nfollow a family centred approach when managing children with cerebral palsy.
Author: A. Pugin
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2122375104