Parental Stress And Depression

Research has established that parents of children with an intellectual disability are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems. These parents typically report increased stress, symptoms of depression and a lower quality of life compared to parents without ID children (Olsson and Hwang, 2001, p. 535).

Parental Stress and Depression

At some point in their lives, all parents will experience stress as a result of having children. However, the types of stressors that parents of ID children experience are different and the level of stress is remarkably higher and often carries on into adulthood (Myers, Mackintosh and Goin-Kochel, 2009, p. 671). Research has shown that the immediate stressor is the diagnosis of the child; parents need to go through the grieving process in order to come to terms with their child’s condition (Norizan and Shamsuddin, 2010, p. 1000). The severity of the child’s impairment plays a significant role in determining parental stress levels (Rivard, Terroux and Parent-Boursier, 2014, p. 9). Myers, Mackintosh and Goin-Kochel (2009, p. 671) conducted a survey on 493 parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study identified that over 70% of parent statements expressed that their child’s care and supervision demands, school struggles, marital problems and challenging behaviours were major sources of stress.

Children with an intellectual disability typically experience sleep problems such as prolonged sleep or frequent night awakenings, which can impact on parents’ sleep quality and quantity (Meltzer, 2011, p. 362). Chronic sleep disruption or exhaustion has been associated with decreased daytime functioning, another source of stress, as well as symptoms of parental depression (Melt...

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...ility diagnosis. The study looked at four coping dimensions:

1. Positive coping: positive reframing of difficult situations and having an optimistic outlook.

2. Problem-focused coping: solving problems as they arise, and seeking advice and support when needed.

3. Active avoidance coping: avoiding stressful situations; escape-avoidance.

4. Religious/Denial coping: not accepting the intellectual disability diagnosis.

Parents who adopted positive and problem-focused coping experienced lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression; while parents who adopted active avoidance and religious/denial coping strategies experienced higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression (Hastings et al., 2005, p. 386). Benson (2010) drew similar conclusions that employing positive coping strategies is likely to have the greatest influence on parents’ well-being and outlook on life.