THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN CENTRAL SERBIA AND KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

Senka Kostić, Nataša Nikolić, Jelena Petrović, Katarina Denić, Tijana Lazić

DOI Number
https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPSPH2203165K
First page
165
Last page
177

Abstract


Parenting brings many challenges, especially if there is a child with developmental disabilities in the family. With this in mind, we designed a study aimed at examining the differences in the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among parents of children with and without developmental disabilities who live in Kosovo and Metohija and central Serbia. The study involved 215 families, 108 families from Kosovo and Metohija (53 families are families with children with disabilities, while 55 families have children without developmental disabilities) and 107 families (51 families are families with children with some form of developmental disability, while 56 families have children without developmental disabilities) from central Serbia. Both parents completed the DASS-21 scale. For data analysis we used the Paired Samples t-Test and two-factor multivariate analysis of variance.

The results indicate that mothers generally show higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than fathers. In addition, the results show that parents of children with disabilities living in central Serbia show higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than parents of children with disabilities in Kosovo and Metohija. Regarding the differences between parents with/without a child with developmental disabilities, the results indicate that fathers of children with developmental disabilities who live in the area of Kosovo and Metohija show lower levels of depression and anxiety compared to fathers of children with developmental disabilities who live in central Serbia; while fathers of children who do not have developmental disabilities show the same level of depression and anxiety, regardless of their place of residence. The results also show that fathers living in central Serbia are generally more stressed than fathers living in Kosovo and Metohija. On the other hand, mothers of children with developmental disabilities who live in the area of Kosovo and Metohija show a lower level of depression and stress compared to mothers of children with developmental disabilities who live in central Serbia; while mothers of children who do not have developmental disabilities show the same level of depression and stress regardless of their place of residence. In addition, mothers living in central Serbia show a higher level of anxiety compared to mothers living in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. The obtained findings only partly confirm the set hypothesis.

Keywords

fathers, authoritarian parenting style, attachment, conflict resolution styles.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Agencija za Statistiku Kosova. Anketa o Radnoj Snazi (ARS) na Kosovu, K1 2021. https://ask.rks-gov.net/sr/agencija-za-statistiku-kosova/add-news/anketa-o-radnoj-snazi-ars-na-kosovu-k1-2021

Azeem, M. W., I. A. Dogar, S. Shah, M. A. Cheema, A. Asmat, M. Akbar, S. Kousar and I. I. Haider. “Anxiety and Depression among Parents of Children with Intellectual Disability in Pakistan”. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 22, 4 (2013): 290–295.

Bailey Jr, D. B., R. N. Golden, J. Roberts and A. Ford. “Maternal Depression and Developmental Disability: Research Critique”. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 13, 4 (2007): 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrdd.20172

Beckman, P. J. “Comparison of Mothers' and Fathers' Perceptions of the Effect of Young Children with and without Disabilities”. American Journal on Mental Retardation 95, 5 (1991): 585–595.

Boyce, G. C., D. Behl, L. Mortensen and J. Akers. “Child Characteristics, Family Demographics and Family Processes: Their Effects on the Stress Experienced by Families of Children with Disabilities”. Counselling Psychology Quarterly 4, 4 (1991): 273–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515079108254436

Cramm, J. M. and A. Nieboer. “Psychological Well-being of Caregivers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities: Using Parental Stress as a Mediating Factor”. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities 15, 2 (2011): 101–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629511410922

Čudina-Obradović, M. i J. Obradović. “Potpora roditeljstvu: izazovi i mogućnosti”. Revija za socijalnu politiku 10, 1 (2003): 45-68. https://doi.org/10.3935/rsp.v10i1.139

Davis, K. and S. Gavidia-Payne. “The Impact of Child, Family, and Professional Support Characteristics on the Quality of Life in Families of Young Children with Disabilities”. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability 34, 2 (2009): 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668250902874608

Dyson, L. L. “Fathers and Mothers of School-age Children with Developmental Disabilities: Parental Stress, Family Functioning, and Social Support”. American Journal on Mental Retardation 102, 3 (1997): 267–279. https://doi.org/10.1352/0895-8017(1997)102<0267:FAMOSC>2.0.CO;2

Findler, L., A. Klein Jacoby, & L. Gabis. “Subjective Happiness among Mothers of Children with Disabilities: The Role of Stress, Attachment, Guilt and Social Support”. Research in Developmental Disabilities 55 (2016): 44–54. doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.006

Freedman, R. and N. C. Boyer. “The Power to Choose: Support for Families Caring for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities”. Health Soc. Work 25, 1 (2000): 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/25.1.59

Hastings, R. P. and A. Beck. “Practitioner Review: Stress Intervention for Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities”. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 45, 8 (2004): 1338–1349. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00357.x

Jovanović, V., V. Gavrilov-Jerković, D. Žuljević i D. Brdarić. “Psihometrijska evaluacija Skale depresivnosti, anksioznosti i stresa–21 (DASS–21) na uzorku studenata u Srbiji”. Psihologija 47, 1 (2014): 93–112. https://doi:10.2298/PSI1401093J

Khamis, V. “Psychological Distress among Parents of Children with Mental Retardation in the United Arab Emirates”. Social Science & Medicine 64, 4 (2007): 850–857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.10.022

Krstić, T, I. Mihić, and J. Branković. „’Our Story’: Еxposition of a Group Support Program for Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities“. Child Care in Practice 27, 4 (2019): 406-421. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2019.1664991

Lee, M., L. Vernon-Feagans, A. Vazquez, and A. Kolak. “The Influence of Family Environment and Child Temperament on Work/Family Role Strain for Mothers and Fathers”. Infant and Child Development 12, 5 (2003): 421–439. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.323

Lovibond, S. H. and P. F. Lovibond. Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Sydney: Psychology Foundation, 1995.

Mahoney, G., P. O’Sullivan, and C. Robinson. “The Family Environments of Children with Disabilities: Diverse but Not so Different”. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 12, 3 (1992): 386–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/027112149201200309

Rimmerman, I. and A. Duvdevani. “Parents of Children and Adolescents with Severe Mental Retardation: Stress, Family Resources, Normalization, and their Application for Out-of-Home Placement”. Research in Developmental Disabilities 17, 6 (1996): 486–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-4222(96)00033-9

Ritzema, A. M. “Stress in Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities over Time”. Canada: McGill University, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Montreal, Quebec, degree of Master of Arts in Educational Psychology, School/Applied Child Psychology, 2010.

Scott B. S., L. Atkinson, H. L. Minton and T. Bowman. “Psychological Distress of Parents of Infants with Down Syndrome”. American Journal on Mental Retardation 102, 2 (1997): 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1352/0895-8017(1997)102<0161:PDOPOI>2.0.CO;2

Singer, G. H. “Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies of Depression in Mothers of Children with and without Developmental Disabilities”. American Journal on Mental Retardation 111, 3 (2006): 155–169. https://doi.org/10.1352/0895-8017(2006)111[155:MOCSOD]2.0.CO;2

Smith, T. B., M. N. Oliver, and M. S. Innocenti. “Parenting Stress in Families of Children with Disabilities”. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 71, 2 (2001): 257–261. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.71.2.257

Štule, O. “Stres kod stanovnika severnog dela Kosovske Mitrovice.” Vojni informator, 1, 2 (2004): 79–90.

Tangri, P. and P. Verma. “A Study of Social Burden Felt by Mothers of Handicapped Children”. Journal of Clinical Studies 8 (1992): 117–120.

Waggoner, K. and L. Wilgosh. “Concerns of Families of Children with Learning Disabilities”. Journal of Learning Disabilities 23, 2 (1990): 97–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/002221949002300204

Walker, L. S., D. A. Van Slyke, and J. R. Newbrough. “Family Resources and Stress: A Comparison of Families of Children with Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and Mental Retardation”. Journal of Pediatric Psychology 17, 3 (1992): 327–343. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/17.3.327

Warfield, M. E. “Family and Work Predictors of Parenting Role Stress among Two‐earner Families of Children with Disabilities”. Infant and Child Development: An International Journal of Research and Practice 14, 2 (2005): 155–176. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.386

Werth, L. H. and A. B. Oseroff. “Continual Counseling Intervention: Lifetime Support for the Family with a Handicapped Member”. American Journal of Family Therapy 15, 4 (1987): 333–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926188708250693

Митић, М. Породица и стрес – између пораза и наде. Београд: Институт за психологију и ИП „Жарко Албуљ“, 1997.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPSPH2203165K

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ISSN 1820-8495 (Print)

ISSN 1820-8509 (Online)