Predictors of Stress in Parents of Developmentally Disabled Children

Abstract

Child diagnos type of early invervention program, social support network, and perceived control were examined as moderators of stress responding in mothers of developmentally disabled children. Sixty-seven mothers completed a battery of questionnaires assessing child characteristics, parent mood, social support, and locus of control. Child diagnosis and type of intervention did not have a significant effect on stress response measures. Spouse support, perceived control, and child characteristics each accounted for significant variance in a multiple regression prediction of stress scores. Further, the amount of spouse support, low vs. high, interacted with mothers' degree of perceived control such that mothers with an internal locus of control and less spouse support obtained considerably higher stress scores across all stress response measures. The role of the child as a stressor and parent moderator variables in the prediction of parental stress are disscussed in terms of models of stress and future research.