ABSTRACT
Background: This systematic review aimed to identify the risk factors and protective factors for parental stress in families with children with special educational needs. Studies have indicated that the wellbeing of families is related to the physical, psychological, and social conditions of the children, as well as the family functioning, stress coping strategies, and social and professional support of their parents. The parents of children with special educational needs experience high levels of parental stress. Identifying the associated risk factors and protective factors may shed light on the provision of interventions to promote the mental wellbeing of these parents. Methods: Boolean operators were used to search multiple online databases, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied in this systematic review. Data were extracted into categories of population, age, region, the child's diagnosis, the stress-measuring instrument, and the risk factors and protective factors. Results: Twenty-six studies, including 5,169 parents and 3,726 children, were reviewed. The following four major risk factors and protective factors were found to be associated with parental stress: the sex of the parents, diagnosis-related coping issues, socioeconomic characteristics, and social isolation of the parents. Conclusions: This systematic review identified four significant risk factors and protective factors related to social support from couples, family members, and social circles. Various agencies may provide financial and manpower assistance and professional support and services to improve the parents' knowledge and coping skills, as well as affectional support, early screening, and continuous assessment of the parents' progress. Social policies and interventions offering continuous and diagnosis-related support to the parents of children with special educational needs are highly recommended.
ABSTRACT
The self-concepts of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a child of school age with severe intellectual disability were explored. A 20-item Adult Sources of Self-Esteem Inventory (ASSEI) and open-ended questions on self-evaluation and interviewing were adopted as the major procedures to identify the source and basis of their self-conceptions. One hundred and nine parents--35 males and 74 females, aged 31 to 45--participated in this study. The results indicated that the participants showed similar life priorities as the control group (parents of non-handicapped children). However, the participants showed significantly lower concept of self than the control group in most areas of life. An exploratory factor-analytic result showed that the parents' concept of self had a one-dimensional structure, which might indicate the parents' lack variety in their life. An analysis of the contents of the open-ended responses showed that family and work were the most important domains of the concept of self. However, most of the respondents stated that poor family relationships, the health problems of their child, and work and financial problems made them 'feel bad'.
