Parenting stress in mothers of children with an intellectual disability: the effects of parental cognitions in relation to child characteristics and family support.
Mom’s sense of control and parenting satisfaction drive stress more than child behavior or family help.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 70 moms of kids with intellectual disability to fill out four short surveys. They wanted to know which mix of child traits, family help, and mom-thoughts best predicted parenting stress.
Child traits were things like age and behavior problems. Mom-thoughts meant locus of control and parenting satisfaction. Family help counted relatives, friends, and paid staff.
What they found
Two mom-thoughts carried the weight: feeling in control and feeling satisfied. When moms saw life as outside their control, stress jumped. Low satisfaction doubled the punch.
Child behavior problems mattered, but only after mom-thoughts were counted. Extra family help did not lower stress once these cognitions were in the model.
How this fits with other research
Enav et al. (2020) later built a full mediation path: mom stress works like a bridge between family risks and actual parenting choices. Their numbers back the 2005 hint that mom-thoughts are the first lever to move.
Chu et al. (2009) added child sleep problems to the mix and still found mom stress as the key outcome. Together the papers show day-to-day child issues feed stress, yet mom-cognitions stay in the driver’s seat.
Matson et al. (2008) reviewed life events in clients with ID and saw stress linked to later psychological problems. The 2005 study flips the lens: stress starts at home with mom’s view of the child, not only with outside events.
Why it matters
You can spot high-risk moms fast. Ask two questions: “Who controls what happens with your child?” and “How happy are you with your parenting?” Low scores flag stress before it snowballs. Pair this quick screen with behavior-plan training that gives moms clear wins; raising their sense of control may cut stress more than adding respite hours.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Recent theories of stress and coping in parents of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) emphasize the importance of cognitive appraisals in influencing parents' levels of stress and their adaptations to difficulties presented by the children. This study investigated the relationships between parental cognitions, child characteristics, family support and parenting stress. The aspects of cognitions studied were: parenting self-esteem (including efficacy and satisfaction) and parental locus of control. METHODS: The group studied consisted of 46 mothers of children with ID. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and Maladaptive Behavior Domain were administered by interview. Mothers also completed four questionnaires: the Family Support Scale, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, a shortened form of the Parental Locus of Control Scale and the Parenting Stress Index (Short Form). RESULTS: Data were analysed using Pearson's correlation coefficients, partial correlations and a regression analysis. The results indicated that most of the variance in parenting stress was explained by parental locus of control, parenting satisfaction and child behaviour difficulties. Whilst there was also a strong correlation between family support and parenting stress, this was mediated by parental locus of control. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the potential importance of parental cognitions in influencing parental stress levels. It is argued that these results have implications for clinical interventions for promoting parents' coping strategies in managing children with ID and behavioural difficulties.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2005 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2005.00673.x