Health-related quality of life in fathers of children with or without developmental disability: the mediating effect of parental stress

Abstract

Fathers of children with DDs should be monitored for parental stress and HRQOL, and interventions should be provided to empower them with the knowledge and skills to reduce their stress and to enhance their HRQOL.

The Views and Experiences of Fathers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the International Evidence

“…Several studies in the current review highlighted mental health issues that emerged for fathers of a child with ID and identified challenges that fathers experienced around adaptation, coping responses, and acceptance (Al‐Yagon, ; ; Cohen et al, ; Dąbrowska, ; Huang et al, ; MacDonald et al, ). Fathers of children with ID when compared to fathers of children without ID reported that they had experienced poor physical and mental health which they attributed to being fathers of a young child with ID (Huang et al, ). However, for some, a range of coping strategies such as information seeking and problem solving utilized by fathers had a positive and beneficial effect on their mental health (Al‐Yagon, ; Giallo et al, ).…”

“…Other risk factors identified as adversely affecting fathers' mental health as follows: the additional care associated with parenting a child with ID; the child's behaviors; poor sleep patterns; less time available to relax, unwind, and for self; balancing family life and work life; and worries about the future (Cohen et al, ; Dąbrowska, ; Giallo et al, ; MacDonald et al, ). Additionally, negative attitudes, perceptions and assumptions by healthcare professionals, family members and the public, regarding the roles and responsibilities of being a father of a child with an ID, also contributed to fathers' poor mental health experiences (Huang et al, ; Takataya et al, ). Some fathers reported that the child's behaviors rather than the child's disability per se negatively affected their mental health.…”

“…A number of data collection methods were used in the studies including surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. A total of five studies were qualitative (Boström & Broberg, ; Carpenter & Towers, ; Huang et al, ; ; Marsh et al, ) and nine studies were quantitative (Al‐Yagon, ; ; Cohen et al, ; Dąbrowska, ; Giallo et al, ; Huang et al, ; MacDonald et al, ; MacDonald & Hastings, ; Takataya et al, ).…”

Parenting stress among parents of children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

“…There is considerable understanding that parents of children with developmental disabilities experience increased levels of stress, often related to the severity of their child's behavior (Feizi et al, 2014;Hayes and Watson, 2013;Huang et al, 2014). However, the experience of stress is dependent on how individuals perceive their situation and what are the coping strategies (i.e., problemfocused, emotion focused, and appraisal-or perception-focused coping) that are used to manage stress.…”

Produção de sentidos parentais no cuidado de crianças com microcefalia por vírus zika

“…Ter uma criança com deficiência no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor, uma condição que pode ser perene ao longo da vida, com a perspectiva de um futuro indesejado e não programado, transforma-se em um poderoso fator estressor para os pais/ familiares, pois são incapazes de relaxar, devido às obrigações diárias para com os filhos, ao tempo disponibilizado para os tratamentos médicos no hospital e em casa, não havendo tempo hábil para interesses pessoais e atividades de lazer. Isso pode levar os pais à perda de controle, incapacidade física e/ou emocional, estresse crônico e repetido, ansiedade e doenças físicas, incluindo a doença cardiovascular e a deficiência imunológica (28) . As falas indicam a indispensabilidade de um maior apoio psicológico e social para essas famílias, incluindo visitas domiciliares da equipe multidisciplinar.…”