Factors associated with the empowerment of Japanese families raising a child with developmental disorders.
Japanese caregivers of kids with DDs feel less empowered when they have more kids, recent diagnosis, low self-efficacy, or skip local services—so screen for these risks and boost social-support education.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wakimizu et al. (2011) asked 529 Japanese moms and dads who raise a child with a developmental disorder to fill out a 25-item empowerment scale.
The team also collected facts: number of siblings, child’s age at diagnosis, use of local services, hospital visits, and parent age.
They ran numbers to see which facts best predict low empowerment scores.
What they found
Parents felt less in control when they had more kids at home, the diagnosis was new, or they were younger themselves.
Skipping respite centers, rarely visiting the hospital, and not knowing about social support also dragged scores down.
Low caregiver self-efficacy—”I can’t handle this”—was the strongest single red flag.
How this fits with other research
Kautz et al. (2020) saw the same pattern in FASD caregivers: parent confidence, not parent chores, predicts stress.
Ben-Yehudah et al. (2019) add that self-kindness cuts stress for ASD parents—another sign that boosting the parent’s mindset works.
Alvarez-Fernandez et al. (2017) show adults with ASD feel lonely; Rie links lonely-feeling parents to low empowerment. Together they say: screen social support on both sides of the clinic door.
Why it matters
You can spot at-risk families in minutes. Ask: “How many kids live at home?” “When was the diagnosis?” “Do you use respite?” If answers raise flags, skip the lecture and build self-efficacy first. Model one tiny skill the parent can nail today, then connect them to a local parent group. Empowerment rises when parents feel capable and connected, not just informed.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We identified factors associated with the empowerment of Japanese families using the Family Empowerment Scale (FES) to contribute to the improvement of empowerment in Japanese families raising a child with developmental disorders (DDs). The study was conducted in 350 caregivers who raised children aged 4-18 years with DDs in urban and suburban districts in Japan. Multiple regression analysis of data collected from 275 respondents revealed that a decrease in family empowerment level correlated with a higher number of siblings reared together, a shorter period since the diagnosis was made, and lower awareness of social support and self-efficacy in caregivers. Medications, possession of an intellectual disability certificate, infrequent hospital visits of the child, disuse of local services by caregivers, and young caregivers also correlated with a lower level of empowerment in the Japanese family.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.01.037