Publication year
2017
Citation Title
An examination of specific child behavior problems as predictors of parenting stress among families of children with pervasive developmental disorders.
Journal Name
Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Journal Volume
10
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
163-177
DOI
10.1080/19315864.2016.1276988
Summary
Understanding the behavior problems that are most associated with increased stress in parents of children with special needs may help guide interventions. Parents of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) self-reported the frequency of common child behavior problems and parental stress levels. The most frequently reported child behavior problems and their impact on the parent's stress level were assessed.
Key Findings
The most frequently reported behavior problems were problems related to speech and impulse control.
Three reported behavior problems were associated with higher parental stress levels: speech problems, the child not answering when people talk to him or her, and temper tantrums.
Reported speech problems or temper tantrums at any level indicated higher stress for parents than those not reporting those problems at all.
Implications for Military Professionals
Facilitate support groups for military parents of children with special needs to provide support for managing stress
Attend trainings about ways to support military parents in coping with the increased stress associated with child behavior problems
Implications for Program Leaders
Enhance education, activities, and curriculum related to coping behaviors and dealing with stress
Provide workshops to help military parents learn about available support services for managing child behavior problems
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage collaboration among DoD programs and community-based organizations to provide support for military parents of children with special needs experiencing behavior problems
Continue to support programs for managing stress in military parents of children with special needs
Methods
Parents of children with a developmental disability were recruited from the Mindful Awareness for Parenting Stress project at Loma Linda University, California.
Self-report questionnaires were sent to parents to assess child behaviors and parenting stress levels.
The most common behavior problems and their relationship to parenting stress were assessed.
Participants
Participants included 72 parents (mean age =34.8 years, SD = 7.7 years) and their child with a PDD between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years (M = 3.9 years; SD = 1 year).
Most parents were female (84%) and most children were male (77%).
The race/ethnicity of the majority of children was reported as either Latino (46%) or White (27%). The race/ethnicity of parents was not included.
Limitations
Only parent-child pairs that reported more than 10 child behavior problems were included in the study; so, the results may not generalize to parents of children with fewer behavior problems.
The age range of children with PDD included in the study was limited (2.5 to 5 years). Therefore, the behavior problems and their association with parent stress may differ from other child age groups.
Most parents in the study were mothers; the results may not generalize to fathers.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore parenting stress levels when the child with special needs has an average of 10 or fewer reported behaviors
Examine behaviors that increase parental stress in families with older children with special needs
Assess the parenting stress levels of fathers of children with special needs
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Introduction: Studies have shown that parents of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) exhibit higher levels of stress than parents of typically developing children or children with other types of developmental delays (DD). This relationship appears to be mediated by elevated levels of behavior problems observed in children with PDD. However, little is known about what specific child behavior problems are most common in this population or how these behavior problems relate to parental stress. We examined the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior problems in parents of young children with PDD. Method: The current study utilized data from the Mindful Awareness for Parenting Stress (MAPS) project and included 72 parents of children with PDD. The mean age of the parents in the current study was 34.81 years (SD = 7.67) and the mean age of the children was 3.86 years (SD = 0.98). Results: The most commonly endorsed classes of child behavior problems included attention problems, language problems, and externalizing behavior problems. Three specific behavior problems, "Doesn't answer when people talk to him/her," "Speech problem," and "Temper tantrums or hot temper," were significantly related to parental stress levels at intake. Furthermore, these three behavior problems uniquely predicted parenting stress. Conclusions: Identifying the behavior problems that are most difficult for parents to handle may allow clinicians to tailor interventions to the specific needs of families. The current study indicated that social difficulties, speech problems, and tantrums have the greatest negative impact on parental stress, highlighting these problems as ideal targets for interventions.
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