Original scientific paper
Mothers’ involvement in everyday activities of children with developmental disabilities
Dajana Bulić
; Centar za rehabilitaciju Zagreb, Hrvatska
Ines Joković Oreb
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijski fakultet, Odsjek za motoričke poremećaje, kronične bolesti i art terapije, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Branko Nikolić
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijski fakultet, Katedra za rehabilitaciju, informatiku, statistiku i tehnologiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The focus of this research was to investigate mothers’ time involvement in everyday activities of children with developmental difficulties. The purpose of the research was to determine the involvement of parents, relatives and others in the activities of everyday life. The research proceeds from the hypothesis that more time is demanded for helping a child with multiple disabilities with everyday activities. The goal of the research, therefore, was to determine the time involvement in everyday activities of a mother of a child with developmental disabilities. The original hypothesis was that the time involvement in the activities of everyday life of mothers of children with developmental disabilities is significantly greater than that of mothers of children with typical development. This hypothesis was tested on a sample of 30 subjects (15 mothers of children with multiple disabilities, 15 mothers of children with typical development). The children were divided according to chronological age into three groups (YOUNG: 6 – 12 months old, MIDDLE: 1 – 3 years old, OLD: 3 – 5 years old). A research instrument with which everyday activities were tested was designed for the purpose of this study. The basic statistical parameters were calculated for each of the variables using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Factor analysis was applied, and differences between the subjects were investigated using robust discriminant analysis. The research clearly shows the difference in the involvement and the number of activities performed by mothers in families with children with developmental disabilities compared to the involvement of mothers in families with children with typical development (without developmental disabilities). In the majority of cases care for the child was assumed by the mother; she performs almost all of the activities connected with the child both in families with children with developmental disabilities and in families with children with typical development. It was confirmed that a mother of a child with developmental disabilities statistically spends more time in everyday activities than a mother of a child with typical development. In families with children with typical development child growth and development occurs spontaneously, without difficulties, and greater parental involvement is unnecessary. The research model and the results obtained confirmed the original hypothesis and enable a further conceptualisation of research in the field of special education and rehabilitation.
Keywords
family; early intervention; mothers’ involvement
Hrčak ID:
87765
URI
Publication date:
5.11.2012.
Visits: 4.584 *