Comparative Analysis of Psycho-Social Stress Among Parents of Children with Mental and Physical Disabilities

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the parental stress experienced by caregivers of children with disabilities. The sample consisted of 60 parents of disabled children who completed a questionnaire on various aspects of their stress and coping strategies. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests. The results showed that most participants were female (70%) and had a monthly income of less than 50,000 PKR (66%). The ANOVA tests revealed significant differences in parental stress levels across different types of disabilities (mental, physical, or both) for three variables: feeling overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities, feeling isolated and lacking support from family and friends, and taking breaks or respite from caregiving responsibilities. The Duncan test indicated that the parents of children with both mental and physical disabilities had the highest levels of stress for these variables, followed by the parents of physically disabled children and then the parents of mentally disabled children. The study concluded that parenting a disabled child can significantly impact parental stress levels and that the type of disability can influence the degree of stress experienced by parents.