Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.31299/hrri.62.1.7
Stress among parents of children with disabilities
Urška Sedej
orcid.org/0009-0002-9033-0400
; Independent researcher, Ljubljana, Slovenija
*
Erna Žgur
; University of Ljubljana, Pedagoška fakulteta, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, Ljubljana, Slovenija
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Parents of children with disabilities experience higher levels of stress compared to parents of children without disabilities. Parental stress is influenced by various factors, including the type and duration of the child’s condition, as well as demographic and psychosocial characteristics of the parents. However, little is known about how specific parental characteristics and different types of disabilities relate to stress levels, particularly in the Slovenian context. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that are associated with parental stress among parents of children with disabilities. We analysed the effects of gender, age, and education level of parents, as well as the type of the child’s disability on parental stress levels. The sample included 412 parents of preschool- and school-age children with disabilities from all regions of Slovenia, between the ages of 20 to 60 years. Invitations to participate in the study were sent to public kindergartens and primary schools. Parental stress was measured using the Parental Stress Scale (PSS). The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to analyse associations between individual factors and stress levels, with the significance threshold set at p < .05. The results indicate that the gender and age of parents had no significant effect on stress levels. Stress levels were significantly higher among parents of children with intellectual disabilities, autistic disorders, or emotional and behavioural problems compared to those raising children with other types of disabilities. Contrary to our hypothesis, higher levels of parental education were associated with higher stress scores on the total PSS scale, as well as on several individual factors. These findings highlight the need for systematic support for parents of children with disabilities and underscore the importance of promoting parental mental health.
Ključne riječi
parental stress; parents of children with disabilities; disability type; associated factors
Hrčak ID:
348364
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *