期刊名称：International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
电子版ISSN：1748-2631
出版年度：2014
卷号：9
DOI：10.3402/qhw.v9.24343
语种：English
出版社：Taylor & Francis
摘要：When a child with a disability is born, reaction of most parents, regardless of gender, span a range of feelings, starting from denial, shock, anger to, hopefully, at last, reconciliation with the circumstances. Different research studies have shown that most of such parents experience increased levels of stress and extended responsibility due to their new situation, and gender differences do determine the experience and reaction to the situation and also the health and well-being of those affected. Women tend to be more affected by stressful life events in general than men, especially when these events affect individuals with whom they have a relationship, such as family members. Women also report a decreased sense of control in stressful situations*they experience more psychological distress and depression and they tend to use more emotion-focused coping-strategies than men such as verbalizing the problems and seeking support from others. Mothers of children with disabilities experience a higher level of stress and depression than fathers. It has been proven that the depressive symptoms of the mothers increase with the age of the child. This is related to the expectance of the child’s need for care. A younger child is expected to require more care than an older child, having a disability or not. Mothers of children with disabilities also report a higher rate of marital dissatisfaction while the same does not apply to their fathers. The more severe the mother’s subjective perception of the child’s disability, the higher the rate of marital discord reported, which is probably because the more severe the child’s disability, the more time the mother has to spend with the child, leaving very little time left to be spent with her spouse.(Published: 16 April 2014)Citation: Int J Qualitative Stud Health Well-being 2014, 9: 24343 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v9.24343
