The roles of COVID-19-related resource losses and coping processes in psychological distress among parents of children with special educational needs in Hong Kong: a conservation of resources approach

Abstract

There are more than 57,000 children with special educational needs (SEN) in Hong Kong. Subject to multiple aspects of stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., school closures, disruptions of daily routines), parents of children with SEN are at-risk of poorer psychological well-being. Studies have suggested that perceived resource loss in different aspects due to COVID-19, coping resources (e.g. family communication, parenting self-efficacy), and coping strategies (e.g., acceptance) are associated with psychological outcomes among Western parents of children with SEN; relevant local studies are limited. Guided by the Conservation of Resource Theory, this study examined the factors associated with psychological distress among parents of children with SEN shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. Parents of children with SEN in Hong Kong (N = 150) were recruited between February and March 2023 from online forums to complete a cross-sectional survey measuring their sociodemographic variables and the abovementioned psychosocial variables. Hierarchical regression results showed that loss in future control (β = 0.28, p < .01) and self-blame coping (β = 0.26, p < .001) were associated with higher psychological distress; family communication (β= − 0.27, p < .001) and acceptance coping (β= − 0.18, p < .05) were associated with lower psychological distress among those parents. This study identified the important contributors to psychological distress of the parents of children with SEN in Hong Kong. Psychosocial interventions helping parents to reflect on resource loss due to COVID-19, training their skills in coping with stressors and effective family communication could promote their psychological adjustments in difficult pandemic situations.