Parental Stress-Coping Skills and Resilience among Parents of Children with Specific Learning Disorders

Abstract

Objective: Parental stress may affect parents’ health, behavior, and children. The use of coping styles and resilience can help parents handle stress. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among the demographic data, coping styles, resilience, and stress levels of the primary caregivers of children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD).
Methods: 160 primary caregivers of children aged 6 to 17 with SLD who attended the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic at Siriraj Hospital were asked to complete the four-part questionnaires. The data were analyzed to find any correlations.
Results: 91.9% of participants had parenting stress at a typical stress level, and 68.8% were rated normal on the resilience quotient. With regard to coping style, the participants rated highest in problem-focus coping (mean score 3.8 ± 0.5), followed by seeking social support (3.0 ± 0.8), and avoidance (2.3 ± 0.6). The score on the Parenting Stress Index correlated with social support (r = 0.207, p < 0.01) and avoidance (r = 0.538, p < 0.01). The resilience quotient score demonstrated a negative association with parenting stress (r = –0.291, p < 0.01), emotional stability (r = –.0.242, p < 0.01), encouragement (r = –0.297, p < 0.01), and problem-solving (r = –0.189, p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Most of the parents had typical stress. Social support and avoidance -coping skills were significantly correlated with parenting stress and resilience. This suggests that one’s coping style and resilience are crucial to parents’ or primary caregivers’ quality of life.