RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Parental reflective functioning has a positive effect on parents' wellbeing. It is associated with positive outcomes for their children. However, there is little research on it among parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities. AIMS: We examined an early bio-psycho-social rehabilitative intervention with parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities in daycare programs and its contribution to their parental reflective functioning and coping. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Seventy parents of children (ages 3 months to two and half years) responded to measures before and after the intervention in their children's daycare programs. Structural equation modeling of the mediation model revealed that the therapeutic inputs were associated with more adaptive coping strategies by increasing parental reflective functioning. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Parents who participated in an intervention of 13 sessions or more significantly increased their reflective functioning. The path analysis showed that parental reflective functioning after the intervention mediated the association between its prior level and the therapeutic inputs, and the parents' proactivity and search for support. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Parental reflective functioning positively affects parents' adaptive coping styles. A bio-psycho-social intervention targeting parental reflective functioning benefits parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities.
Asunto(s)
Discapacidades del Desarrollo , Padres , Humanos , Preescolar , Niño , Adaptación Psicológica , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
This study examined the roles of stigma and of enabling factors in help-seeking by parental caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities and dual diagnosis. Questionnaires were completed by 195 family caregivers. Lower family stigma was related to higher personal enabling factors (e.g. knowledge about services and previous experience in seeking help), which in turn was related to higher help-seeking behaviors. Higher professional enabling factors (e.g. attitude of the professional, services in the vicinity) were related to higher intentions to seek help, which were related to higher help-seeking behaviors. Professionals can help families achieve a greater sense of self-efficacy in their own help-seeking process by providing them with knowledge about services and facilitating a more positive experience in the process.
Asunto(s)
Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Conducta de Búsqueda de Ayuda , Discapacidad Intelectual/epidemiología , Trastornos Mentales/epidemiología , Servicios de Salud Mental/organización & administración , Padres/psicología , Adolescente , Adulto , Cuidadores , Femenino , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud/organización & administración , Humanos , Israel , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Aceptación de la Atención de Salud/psicología , Relaciones Profesional-Paciente , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Estigma Social , Factores Socioeconómicos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
We aimed to examine family quality of life (FQOL) of Northern Israeli families having a child with a severe neurodevelopmental disability and its relation to socio-demographics. The cohort included caregivers of 70 children ages (mean ± standard deviation) 5.36 ± 3.53 years. Families were two-parent (85.7%), lived in the periphery (67.1%) and included Jews (60%), Muslims (18.6%), Druze (14.3%) and Christians (7.1%). Religiosity included: secular (38.6%), traditional (31.4%), religious (30%). Children's diagnosis included autistic spectrum disorder (41.4%), intellectual disability (21.4%), cerebral palsy (17.1%), genetic syndromes (17.1%) and sensorineural hearing loss (2.9%). Degree of support (1-minimal,5-greatest) required by the child was 3.67 ± 1.28 for physical and 3.49 ± 1.36 for communication. Primary caregivers completed the FQOL Survey. Domain scores were highest for family relations and lowest for financial well-being. Dimension scores were highest for importance and lowest for opportunities. Overall FQOL approximated average. Jewish families and residents of a major urban area reported higher and more religious families reported lower overall FQOL. Regression analysis found ethnicity contributing to overall FQOL and domain scores with residence contributing to support from services. Ethnicity and child dependence contributed to dimension scores. Northern Israeli families having a child with a severe neurodevelopmental disability report average FQOL scores. However, family and child dependence characteristics affect FQOL scores. Professionals working with these families should consider FQOL information when making recommendations.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno del Espectro Autista , Cuidadores , Parálisis Cerebral , Familia , Enfermedades Genéticas Congénitas , Pérdida Auditiva Sensorineural , Discapacidad Intelectual , Calidad de Vida , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Israel , Masculino , Trastornos del Neurodesarrollo , Análisis de Regresión , ReligiónRESUMEN
Society has a negative attitude toward people with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric disabilities. It is well documented that they are subjected to prejudice, stigma, and negative attitudes (Di Giulio, 2003; Finger, 1994). Professional literature indicates that information about disabilities and encounters with persons with disabilities can change negative attitudes (Carter, Hughes, Copeland, & Breen, 2001; Krajewski & Flaherty, 2000). This study accompanied 164 9th-grade students from various junior high schools throughout Israel. Half of the students participated in an integration program for changing attitudes toward persons with disabilities, and the other half served as the control group. The research examined the existence and the degree of relationship between participation in the program, changes in attitudes toward people with disabilities, and self-image. The research findings pointed to a positive change in attitudes of the participants of the program in comparison with the control group, resulting mainly from personal contact with people with disabilities. No relationship was found between levels of self-image of the research group and attitudes toward people with disabilities.
Asunto(s)
Conducta del Adolescente , Personas con Discapacidad/psicología , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Liderazgo , Autoimagen , Percepción Social , Adaptación Psicológica , Adolescente , Distribución de Chi-Cuadrado , Educación , Femenino , Humanos , Relaciones Interpersonales , Masculino , Psicometría , Estrés Psicológico , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , VoluntariosRESUMEN
This exploratory research studied middle-class mother's primary reason for registering their young children, mean age 6.9 years, in adapted motor and sports programs and their perceptions of their children upon entering the program and upon completion. Analyses also examined the possible relationship between mothers' age, education or children's age with their perceived favorable changes in the children's development. Fifty-one mothers participated in the study. The mothers completed a survey examining their perceptions of their children's developmental function along seven domains: understanding direction, communication, general physical functioning, fine motor skills, activities of daily living, vigilance and attention, and social behavior. The children were categorized by primary reason of referral to three categories: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, motor difficulties, and social/behavioral difficulties. Findings suggest that middle-class mothers showed awareness and understanding of their children's needs by identifying the general physical function as the desirable domain to be addressed by the motor group, vigilance and attention as associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and understanding directions and communication as the desirable domain by the social/behavioral group. The findings are discussed in terms of the complexity of mother's perception of their children participating in sports and motor programs as relating to the different domains as well as to their perceived needs of their children.