title: Locus of control and utilization of social support among mothers of young children with physical disabilities.
abstract: Sixty mothers of young children with physical disabilities were studied with respect to the effect of the mothers' locus of control on the utilization of social support. The initial findings failed to support the thesis that mothers with an 'internally' focused locus of control would demonstrate greater utilization of their support system, both in terms of descriptive and functional measures. A secondary analysis showed that the mothers' age, the children's level of functioning, and the existence of additional members of the family with a disability served as intervening variables. Only among older mothers, who perceived their children's functioning as severe, was there significant association between the locus of control ('internal') and greater use of their social support system. 'Internal' mothers who had no additional extended family members with a disability reported higher levels of functional social support, as compared to 'external' mothers. Findings are interpreted with respect to social support theory and its implications to applied research.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rimmerman
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stanger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support