Abstract
Session presented on: Tuesday, July 23, 2013:
Purpose: We examined perceptions of depression and hardiness in parents raising a child with disabilities (CWD) or a typically developing child to determine if (a) differences exist in variables according to parent gender and type of disability, and (b) relationships exist between variables.
Methods: 166 pairs of parents raising children with autism, Down syndrome, multiple disabilities, other disabilities, or typically developing children completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale and the Family Hardiness Index. Descriptive statistics, ANOVAs, correlations, and regressions were calculated.
Results: ANOVAs for depression found significant differences by disability (F=2.598, p=.038) and parent gender (F=10.297, p=.002), but no significant disability x gender interaction. Parents of children with autism had significantly higher levels of depression than parents of typically developing children. Mothers had higher levels of depression than fathers. There were no significant differences in hardiness by parent gender. There was a significant difference by disability (F=3.722, p=.006), but no significant disability x gender interaction. Parents of typically developing children had significantly higher levels of hardiness than parents of children with autism and parents of children with other disabilities. Parents of children with other disabilities had significantly higher levels of hardiness than parents of children with autism. Hardiness and depression were negatively correlated for both mothers and fathers. After controlling for type of disability, number of children in the family, income, caregiver burden, and age and gender of the CWD, higher levels of hardiness continued to predict lower depression for mothers and fathers.
Conclusion: Nurses should provide interventions assisting mothers of children with disabilities and parents of children with autism cope with depression. It is also critical to provide interventions to increase hardiness in parents raising children with autism or other disabilities. Helping parents raising a CWD increase in hardiness may also decrease their depression.
Sigma Membership
Iota Iota
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Parents of Children with Disabilities, Depression, Hardiness
Recommended Citation
Mandleco, Barbara L.; Freeborn, Donna; Roper, Susanne Olsen; Dyches, Tina; and McOmber, Shannon, "Parental perceptions: Depression and hardiness in families raising a child with a disability" (2013). INRC (Congress). 148.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2013/presentations_2013/148
Conference Name
24th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Prague, Czech Republic
Conference Year
2013
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Parental perceptions: Depression and hardiness in families raising a child with a disability
Prague, Czech Republic
Session presented on: Tuesday, July 23, 2013:
Purpose: We examined perceptions of depression and hardiness in parents raising a child with disabilities (CWD) or a typically developing child to determine if (a) differences exist in variables according to parent gender and type of disability, and (b) relationships exist between variables.
Methods: 166 pairs of parents raising children with autism, Down syndrome, multiple disabilities, other disabilities, or typically developing children completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale and the Family Hardiness Index. Descriptive statistics, ANOVAs, correlations, and regressions were calculated.
Results: ANOVAs for depression found significant differences by disability (F=2.598, p=.038) and parent gender (F=10.297, p=.002), but no significant disability x gender interaction. Parents of children with autism had significantly higher levels of depression than parents of typically developing children. Mothers had higher levels of depression than fathers. There were no significant differences in hardiness by parent gender. There was a significant difference by disability (F=3.722, p=.006), but no significant disability x gender interaction. Parents of typically developing children had significantly higher levels of hardiness than parents of children with autism and parents of children with other disabilities. Parents of children with other disabilities had significantly higher levels of hardiness than parents of children with autism. Hardiness and depression were negatively correlated for both mothers and fathers. After controlling for type of disability, number of children in the family, income, caregiver burden, and age and gender of the CWD, higher levels of hardiness continued to predict lower depression for mothers and fathers.
Conclusion: Nurses should provide interventions assisting mothers of children with disabilities and parents of children with autism cope with depression. It is also critical to provide interventions to increase hardiness in parents raising children with autism or other disabilities. Helping parents raising a CWD increase in hardiness may also decrease their depression.