Stress and Adaptation in Families of Children with Visual Disabilities

Abstract

Little research is available on families of children with visual impairments. The authors examined stress and coping in a sample of 130 families (experimental group) of visually impaired children who responded to a parent questionnaire and the Family Environment Scale (FES). A control group of 78 parents responded to FES only. Findings revealed that the experimental group experienced various stressors such as future concerns, financial concerns, concerns about services, and concerns about the social acceptance of the child. These families were less involved in intellectual and cultural activities and used less structure and organization than did the controls. In coping, many families used various formal and informal sources of support as well as personal coping strategies. Implications for practitioners and social service providers are discussed.

Reducing problem behavior during care-giving in families of preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities

“…The scale has high reliability for the depression (α = .91), anxiety (α = .81) and stress (α = .89) scales, and good discriminate and concurrent validity (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). Internal consistency in the current sample is adequate for total score (α = .97), depression (α = .94), anxiety (α = .91), and stress (α = .94).…”

“…The DASS (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) is a 42-item questionnaire that assesses symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in adults. The scale has high reliability for the depression (α = .91), anxiety (α = .81) and stress (α = .89) scales, and good discriminate and concurrent validity (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995).…”

Parenting stress, anxiety, and depression in mothers with visually impaired infants: a cross‐sectional and longitudinal cohort analysis

“…the child's future) and current needs (e.g. child‐rearing demands, access to health care and community services) . Tröster found higher parenting stress in mothers of children with visual impairment than in those of typically developing children .…”

“…child-rearing demands, access to health care and community services). 2,7,8 Tr€ oster found higher parenting stress in mothers of children with visual impairment than in those of typically developing children. 8 However, the age range, vision levels, and abilities of children were broad.…”

Parents' leisure: the impact of raising a child with down syndrome

“…Engagement in leisure occupations has the potential to impact a person in many ways. The benefits include relaxation (Kraus, 1984), increased coping (Fitts and Howe, 1987;Leyser et al, 1996;Ta ylor and McGruder, 1996), and improved mental and physical health (Iso-Aloha, 1980;Tinsley and Eldredge, 1995). Occupational therapists recognize the benefits of leisure and emphasize the importance of a balance between work, leisure and activities of daily living.…”