Content uploaded by Subodh Kumar
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Subodh Kumar on Nov 12, 2022
Content may be subject to copyright.
Research Paper
The International Journal of Indian Psychology
ISSN 2348-5396 (Online) | ISSN: 2349-3429 (Print)
Volume 10, Issue 4, October- December, 2022
DIP: 18.01.031.20221004, DOI: 10.25215/1004.031
https://www.ijip.in
© 2022, Pallavi, A. & Subodh, K.; licensee IJIP. This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-
Esteem among Parents of Children with Special Needs
Pallavi Abdi
1
*, Subodh Kumar
2
ABSTRACT
Parents are the fundamental and most important connection in the care, education, and
supervision of children with special needs. When parenting a special child, they face many
challenges, including tremendous physical and psychological concerns associated with child
care and unprecedented stress. The present study aims to assess the effects of parental support
groups on the self-esteem and perceived stress of parents of children with special needs. A
cross-sectional study was conducted, and data from 100 parents of children with special
needs was collected through convenience sampling using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS;
Cohen, et al., 1983) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES; Rosenberg, 1989). The results
showed that parents who were a part of parental support groups had better self-esteem but
higher perceived stress. t-test showed a significant difference in self-esteem in relation to
membership of parental support groups (t=2.127, p=0.03). However, there was no significant
difference in perceived stress in reference to membership of parental support groups (t=1.575,
p=0.119). Pearson’s correlation showed a statistically significant association (r=0.611)
between self-esteem and perceived stress at 0.01 levels. There is an urgent need for medical,
psychological, and educational professionals to provide family-based interventions to assist
parents raising a child with a disability.
Keywords: Perceived Stress, Self-Esteem, Children with Special Needs, Parental Support
Group
hildren with disabilities are common and increasing as more children survive
globally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015),
roughly one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect, and approximately one in
every six children is born with a developmental disability. Developmental disabilities are a
range of conditions characterised by disability in one or more of the following areas:
physical, learning, language, or behaviour. These problems appear during the developmental
period, can interfere with daily functioning, and usually last a person's entire life.
Parents are the core and most important link in the care, education, and supervision of
children with special needs; as a result, they face huge physical and psychological
1
Founder, Fortune Foundation for Special Needs, Noida, India
2
Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P., India
*Corresponding Author
Received: August 30, 2022; Revision Received: October 29, 2022; Accepted: November 11, 2022
C
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 349
challenges associated with child care and face unparalleled stress (Joseph & Chacko, 2019).
When raising a special child, they encounter a slew of new challenges. Parental duties are
frequently reinterpreted and can constitute a significant challenge and stress for parents,
particularly when assistance is inadequate or non-existent. Parents of special children face
new and unfamiliar obstacles that reshape their traditional roles as advocates, medical
caregivers, and organizers of structured activities. Financial problems, marital strife, and
social isolation can all be sources of stress for parents (Cauda-Laufer, 2017).
Stress is the psychological and physical state that occurs when an individual's resources are
insufficient to deal with the situation's demands and pressures. As a result, stress is more
likely in some situations than others, and in some people than others. COVID-19 has had an
impact on the mental health of parents of special needs children. During the COVID-19
outbreak, parents of special needs children had mental and behavioural issues, as well as
parenting stress and social support, which influenced their state anxiety. According to some
recent study, parenting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be a stressful
experience. Individual, familial, and cultural variables all have a role in dealing with and
coping with pressures. Parents' levels of anxiety varied greatly depending on their
educational background, family monthly income, and the nature of their child's condition
(Ren, et al., 2020).
According to research, parents of children with special needs are more stressed, have a
higher risk of mental health problems, and have lower well-being than parents of typically
developing children (Benson, 2012; Trute et al., 2007). According to Saeed's (2020)
research, the gender of the kid, age of diagnosis, kind of school the child attends, parents'
gender, age of parents and child, marital status, and number of special children in the
household all experience substantial levels of stress during COVID -19. Among various
types of strategies to mitigate the level of stress experienced by the parents, engaging in
activities with their children was the most effective. Additionally, factors such as area of
residence, low socio-economic status, knowledge of the disability of one’s child, low
confidence in managing the special child, increased perceived burden of care and having no
sources for psychological support play a significant role in the prevalence of psychological
distress among the parents for children with disabilities (Mwale, et al., 2018).
Parents of children with special needs experience moderate to severe parental stress,
irrespective of gender (Joseph and Chacko, 2019). The parents with high anxiety were four
times more likely to have high perceived stress (Jose, 2018). There is a significant difference
parenting stress level in mothers of children with various problems such as sensory-motor
mental problems, chronic physical problems, and psychological disorders (Feizi et al.,
2014).
Self-esteem is linked to human health and psychological well-being (Rosenberg, 1965). This
effect might be regarded as an increase in the scope of resources and active coping with
life's issues. Furthermore, regardless of the conditions, there appears to be a considerable
anti-stress influence on self-esteem (Pruessner et al., 1999).
Researchers have found that the father's parenting stress had a partner effect on the mother's
self-esteem. In contrast, the mother's self-esteem affected her parent-child interaction, which
affected the child's self-esteem (Won & Hun-Ha, 2020). Moreover, parents of children with
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 350
autism spectrum disorder are more likely to have mental health problems than parents whose
children have an intellectual disability or a visual or hearing impairment (Chen et al., 2020).
The present study aims to assess the effects of parental support groups on the self-esteem
and stress management of parents/caregivers of children with special needs.
Objectives
• To study the stress level among parents of children with special needs.
• To study the difference in perceived stress among parents who are a part of a
parental support group and parents who are not part of any parental support group.
• To study the self-esteem of parents of children with special needs.
• To study the difference in self-esteem among parents who are a part of a parental
support group and parents who are not part of any parental support group.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study design and participants
A cross-sectional study was conducted from October - December 2021. The sample of this
study was parents of children with special needs. A total of 100 parents (50% of parents
were a part of the parental support group and 50% were not part of any parental support
group) of children with special needs (90% with Autism and 10% with other disabilities)
were selected through the convenience sampling method.
Tools
For this study, data was collected using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen, et al., 1983)
and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES; Rosenberg, 1989).
• Perceived Stress Scale is one of the most widely disseminated methods of assessing
psychological stress. This self-report scale generates a global stress score that is
based on general questions rather than focusing on specific experiences. is the most
widely used psychological instrument for measuring the perception of stress. It
measures the degree to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful. Items
were designed to tap how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents
find their lives. The scale also includes several direct queries about current levels of
experienced stress. PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3,
2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then
summing across all scale items.
• Self-esteem Scale is a 10-item self-report measure with a 4-point scale ranging from
strongly agree to strongly disagree. High scores indicate high self-esteem, whereas
low scores indicate low self-esteem. Cronbach’s alpha for various samples range
between 77-.88 and test-retest correlations between .82-.88 (Rosenberg, 1989).
Statistical Analysis
Descriptive statistical analyses were performed to analyze the data collected from the
participants. Continuous variables were presented in the form of mean (±sd) and categorical
variables were presented as number (%). t test was used to compare the mean of two groups.
A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All statistical analyses were
performed using statistical software SPSS (version 20.0).
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 351
RESULTS
The mean age of the participants of this study was 38.3 (SD=6.15) years. 82% (n=82) of the
participants were females and 18% (n=18) were males. 96% (n=96) of parents looked after
one child with special needs, and 4% (n=4) had two children with special needs. Further, the
most of the participants i.e., 58% (n=58) were postgraduates, 30% (n=30) were graduates,
6% (n=6) were Ph.D. holders, 4% (n=4) were diploma holders and 2% (n=2) were having
M.Phil. as an educational qualification. Further, 34% (n=34) parents were homemakers,
23% (n=23) were working professionals, 13% (n=13) were teachers, 8% (n=8) were special
educators, 8% (n=8) were in government job, 8% (n=8) were businessmen and 6% (n=6)
were doctors.
Table 1: Demographic details of the participants
Perceived Stress
Participants of this study scored 18.53 (SD=6.07) on the perceived stress scale. Among all
the participants, 8% (n=8) had a high level of stress, 21% (n=21) had a low-stress level, and
71% (n=71) had a moderate stress level on the perceived stress scale (Table 2). The result
indicates that most parents of children with special needs had a moderate stress level.
Table 2: Frequency distribution based on levels of Perceived stress among participants
(N=100)
Levels
Frequency
Percent
Mean
SD
High Stress
8
8.0
18.53
6.07
Low Stress
21
21.0
Moderate Stress
71
71.0
Variables
Frequency (N)
Percentage (%)
Gender
Female
82
82.0
Male
18
18.0
Qualification
Postgraduate
58
58.0
Graduate
30
30.0
Ph.D.
06
6.0
Diploma
04
4.0
M. Phil.
02
2.0
Profession
Homemaker
34
34.0
Professional
23
23.0
Teacher
13
13.0
Special educator
08
8.0
Government job
08
8.0
Businessmen
08
8.0
Doctor
06
6.0
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 352
Table 3 presents perceived stress's mean, standard deviation, t value, and p-value. Parents
who were part of the parental support groups had mean perceived stress of 19.48 (SD=6.84),
whereas the parents who were not a part of any parental support group had a mean score of
17.58 (SD=5.09) on the perceived stress scale. The result indicates that parents of parental
support groups had higher perceived stress. t-test shows that there was no significant
difference (t=1.575, p=0.119) in perceived stress in reference to membership of parental
support groups.
Table 3: Mean, Standard Deviation, and t value for Perceived stress among parents of
parental support groups and no support group
Parental
Support Group
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
df
t
p
Perceived
Stress
Yes
50
19.48
6.840
98
1.575
0.119
No
50
17.58
5.099
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 353
Self-esteem
Participants scored a mean score of 22.14 (SD=3.34) on the self-esteem scale.
Table 4 presents self-esteem's mean, standard deviation, t value, and p-value. Parents who
were part of the parental support groups had mean self-esteem of 22.84 (SD=3.50), whereas
the parents who were not a part of any parental support group had a mean score of 21.44
(SD=3.05) on the self-esteem scale. The result indicates that parents of parental support
groups had better self-esteem. t-test shows a significant difference (t=2.127, p=0.03) in self-
esteem in relation to membership of parental support groups.
Table 4: Mean, Standard Deviation, and t value for Self-esteem among parents of
parental support groups and no support group
Parental
Support Group
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
df
t
p
Self-
esteem
Yes
50
22.84
3.507
98
2.127
0.036
No
50
21.44
3.058
DISCUSSION
Perceived Stress
The results revealed that the participants had a mean score of 18.53 (SD=6.07) on the
perceived stress scale. Most parents of children with special needs had a moderate level of
stress which shows that parents of children with special needs know to deal with daily life
challenges and take care of their children with special needs. Parents who were part of the
parental support groups had mean perceived stress of 19.48 (SD=6.84), whereas the parents
who were not a part of any parental support group had a mean score of 17.58 (SD=5.09) on
the perceived stress scale. This indicates that parents of parental support groups had higher
perceived stress, and having a support group does not help manage stress. t-test showed no
significant difference in perceived stress in relation to membership of parental support
groups (t=1.575, p=0.119). This means joining a parental support group has no significance
in the stress management of parents of special children.
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 354
Self-esteem
The results showed that the participants scored 22.14 (SD=3.34) on the self-esteem scale.
Parents who were part of the parental support groups had mean self-esteem of 22.84
(SD=3.50), whereas the parents who were not a part of any parental support group had a
mean score of 21.44 (SD=3.05) on the self-esteem scale. This indicates that having parental
support groups increases the self-esteem of the parents/ caretakers of children with special
needs. t-test shows that there was a significant difference in self-esteem in relation to
membership of parental support groups (t=2.127, p=0.03). Also, there was a statistically
significant association (r=0.611) between self-esteem and perceived stress at 0.01 levels.
CONCLUSION
The study revealed that parents who were a part of parental support groups had better self-
esteem than those who were not part of any parental support group. t-test shows that there
was a significant difference in self-esteem in relation to membership of parental support
groups (t=2.127, p=0.03). However, the perceived stress was higher among the parents of
parental support groups. t-test showed no significant difference in perceived stress in
relation to membership of parental support groups (t=1.575, p=0.119), which implies that
joining a parental support group has no significance in the stress management of parents of
special children. Also, there was a statistically significant association (r=0.611) between
self-esteem and perceived stress at 0.01 levels.
Implications
This study emphasizes the critical necessity for medical, psychological, and educational
professionals to give family-based interventions, particularly to assist parents raising a child
with special needs. The study's findings have four main messages for professionals: (a) the
significance of providing parents with support and resources for their child's disability, (b)
the importance of ongoing communication between professionals and parents about the
disability, (c) the significance of reminding parents to take care of themselves and their own
mental health to support their child's requirements effectively, and (d) the need of trained
caregivers, daycare and residential services and volunteers in housing societies who can look
after children with special needs to give a break to parents for recreational activities and in
case of stress.
Limitations
• The sample size for the study covered only 100 parents/caregivers of children with
special needs.
• The majority of the participants were females.
• Cross-sectional institution-based study with a small-time frame for data collection
• Only the accompanying parents were studied. Including the other parents would have
enriched the findings of the study
• All forms were filled out online in the absence of observation by the researcher.
Suggestions
Similar studies should be conducted by taking a larger sample, including both parents of
children with special needs from other states of India, by using different psychological tools.
Effects of various factors like family type, family income, age & gender of parents and
children, etc. can be explored on the mental health of the parents of children with special
needs.
Effects of Parental Support Group on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children
with Special Needs
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 355
REFERENCES
Benson, P. J. (2011). Marital quality and psychological adjustment among mothers of
children with ASD: Cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships. Journal of Autism
& Developmental Disorders, 41(12), 1675–1685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011
-1198-9
Cauda-Laufer, N. (2017). Raising a Child with a Disability: Coping Mechanisms and
Support Needs. PCOM Psychology Dissertations. 432. https://digitalcommons.pcom.
edu/psychology_dissertations/432
Chen, S. Q., Chen, S. D., Li, X. K. & Ren, J. (2020). Mental Health of Parents of Special
Needs Children in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int. J. Environ. Res.
Public Health, 17, 9519, 1-14. doi:10.3390/ijerph17249519
Feizi, A., Najmi, B., Salesi, A., Chorami, M., & Hoveidafar, R. (2014). Parenting stress
among mothers of children with different physical, mental, and psychological
problems. Journal of research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan
University of Medical Sciences, 19(2), 145–152.
Jose, J. (2018). Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies in Parents of Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorder [Masters Dissertation, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical
Sciences and Technology]. Assessed on 01 August 2022 from https://www.kudumb
ashree.org/storage/files/c60fr_prinu_thesis_dissertation%20study.pdf
Joseph, S. & Chacko, M. (2019). A Study to Assess the Parenting Stress and the Related
Factors among Parents of Differently Abled Children in Selected Special Schools of
Kolkata. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 8(8), 258-262.
Ren, J., Li, X., Chen, S., Chen, S. & Nie, Y. (2020) The Influence of Factors Such as
Parenting Stress and Social Support on the State Anxiety in Parents of Special Needs
Children During the COVID-19 Epidemic. Front. Psychol. 11:565393. doi: 10.3389/
fpsyg.2020.565393.
Saeed, T., Tahir, S. & Mahmood, N. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Parents of
Children with Special Needs. J Anxiety Depress, 3(2):129.
Segal, J. (2021). Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes. Retrieved on 5 August 2022 from
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm
Trute, B., Hiebert-Murphy, D. & Levine, K. (2007). Parental appraisal of the family impact
of childhood developmental disability: Times of sadness and times of joy. Journal of
Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 32(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/136682
50601146753.
Acknowledgement
The author appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the
research process.
Conflict of Interest
The author declared no conflict of interests.
How to cite this article: Pallavi, A. & Subodh, K. (2022). Effects of Parental Support Group
on Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem among Parents of Children with Special Needs.
International Journal of Indian Psychology, 10(4), 348-355. DIP:18.01.031.20221004,
DOI:10.25215/1004.031
