Parental adaptation to the cerebral-palsied child : the influence of psychosocial variables

Austin, Judith

Parental adaptation to the cerebral-palsied child : the influence of psychosocial variables

Master Thesis

1998

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Psychology

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This study examined the degree of adaptation (operationalised by means of multiple measures, namely satisfaction with family life, stress and adjustment to the child) being attained by parents of a child with cerebral palsy. Drawing on the model of stress and coping of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), the outcome variable adaptation was held to be a function of the stressor (i.e. the exceptional child) and various mediating factors, namely demographics, coping mechanisms, perceived social support and locus of control. A cross-sectional, correlational field survey was conducted in which seventy-nine parents, recruited via a school for children with cerebral palsy, completed a pencil and paper self-report questionnaire, generating both quantitative and qualitative data. Scales utilised in this study were the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES III; Olson, Portner & Lavee, 1985), the short form of the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS-F; Friedrich, Greenberg & Crnic, 1983), the Judson Scale (Judson & Burden, 1980), the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced Scale (COPE; Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989), the Family Support Scale (FSS; Dunst, Trivette & Jenkins, 1988) and the Pearlin Mastery Scale (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978). Qualitative data were solicited by means of four open-ended questions, the responses to which were content analysed on the basis of themes identified in the literature

Description

Bibliography: leaves 159-174.

Keywords

Psychology

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