Exploring Feelings of Worry and Sources of Stress during COVID-19 Pandemic among Parents of Children with Disability: A Sample from Arab Countries

Abstract

The study sought to explore feelings of worry and sources of stress-affected parents of children with disabilities, as well as describing the negative feelings and how resources helped them overcome stress due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Furthermore, we sought to assess the level of general satisfaction with the services they have obtained remotely. Methodology: A sample of 623 parents of children with disabilities filled out an electronic self-report questionnaire during the period June 4th to June 20th, 2020. Results: The parents reported a high level of worry regarding the possibility of their child getting infected. Parents continue to worry about losing their child’s care and treatment. Parents who hold a bachelor’s degree feel the sources of stress at a higher level compared to parents with lower than high school education. A proportion of 59% of parents reported not receiving services from special education centers during the pandemic, and 41% of parents were satisfied with the services provided by the center of special education. Parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher were less satisfied with the center’s services. Parents with a higher qualification than secondary school use several sources to overcome the pressure associated with educating a child with a disability. Conclusion: Mental health fears were associated with pandemic restrictions. The study recommends special education centers implement strategies that support parents with special education children.

Daily Behaviors, Worries and Emotions in Children and Adolescents with ADHD and Learning Difficulties during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This finding is in accordance with research that investigated the effect of parental educational level on COVID-19-related worrying. It was found that parents who hold a bachelor's or higher degree experienced more severe feelings of fear and stress regarding the epidemic and its threat on their own or family members' health than parents with less education [48]. This finding suggests that rational management of parental fear, anxiety and negative emotions could be particularly helpful for children with ADHD, since their exposure to these seems to add a burden on their mental health.…”

Resilience and Parenting Stress in Mothers who have Children With Mental Retardation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Consequently, negative psychological emotions of stress and irritability have emerged among families. Thus, parents and caregivers needed more services to compensate for the closure of service centers (Abdelfattah et al, 2021).…”

Special Education in a Remote Setting: Stakeholders’ Stories and More

“…Stress, anxiety, and mental health issues (Althiabi, 2021) have been highlighted as factors induced by income disparity, unemployment, and technical barriers (Durgun, 2021;Supratiwi et al, 2021). The loss of support services has a negative impact on parents and teachers (Abdelfattah et al, 2021). On a positive note, a novel collaboration concept evolved.…”

“…On a positive note, a novel collaboration concept evolved. Telehealth and teletherapy emerge to replace face-to-face support services (Wong et al, 2021;Abdelfattah et al,2021;Samadi et al, 2020;McDevitt, 2021). On the local front, reviews on remote special education centered on the government's response to the pandemic resulting in remote learning (Cahapay, 2021).…”