The social environment and the adaptation of mothers of physically handicapped children.

Evaluated relationships between social environmental characteristics and adaptation in 50 mothers of congenitally physically handicapped 6- to 11-year-old children. Mothers reported on utilitarian resources, child adjustment, psychosocial family resources, service utilization, and three dimensions of adaptation. Analyses of the concurrent correlational design indicated significant proportions of the variance in mental and social functioning were explained by features of the social environment. Mother's physical health could not be significantly predicted. Consistently strong contributions were made by psychosocial family resources in all adaptation domains.

Disability parameters, chronic strain, and adaptation of physically handicapped children and their mothers.

Investigated the contribution of disability parameters and chronic disability-related strain to the adaptation of 50 congenitally physically handicapped 6- to 11-year-old children and their mothers. Multiple dimensions of adaptation, disability status, and chronic disability-related strain were assessed with a variety of procedures. The mothers reported their children and themselves to display significantly worse adaptation than expected for a general sample. The adaptation of these children and their mothers, however, was not significantly related to the children's disability status nor the chronic strain thereto related. An exception was that the children's social functioning could be significantly explained by both of these factors. The inability to explain most dimensions of adaptation in the children and their mothers as it relates to the conceptual model guiding this research is discussed.

Self-concept, sexual knowledge and attitudes, and parental support in the sexual adjustment of women with early- and late-onset physical disability.

Three groups of college women were compared on the following dimensions: sexual experiences, sexual satisfaction, self-concept, sexual attitudes and knowledge, and parental support for sexual development. Groups were composed of women with late-onset physical disability, early-onset physical disability, and no disability. Measures utilized included an extension of the Sexual Interaction Inventory, the Tennessee Self-Concept Inventory, the Sexual Knowledge and Attitude Test, and questionnaires developed for this study. The early-onset group reported fewer current sexual experiences than did the nondisabled group. The early-onset group was dissatisfied with the frequency of sexual behavior to a greater degree than the nondisabled group. Also, both disabled groups believed that they could enjoy sexual experiences more than they did at present in contrast to the nondisabled group. There were no group differences for self-concept, though several aspects of self-concept contributed significantly to sexual adjustment for the disabled groups. No group differences were found for sexual knowledge and attitudes or parental support for sexual development, nor did these variables relate to sexual adjustment. Group differences in sexual adjustment are discussed in terms of functional, emotional, and social implications. Recommendations for further research include following the social development of women with late-onset conditions, comparing the social skills and cognitions of the two disabled groups, and assessing men who have established intimate relationships with disabled women.