Child disability and family needs in the People's Republic of China.
As developing countries have made progress in their efforts to reduce child mortality, there is an increasing need to address the prevention and reduction of childhood disability. The People's Republic of China has built on its success in primary health care and is extending its attention to identifying the scope of needs of individuals with disabilities. The focus of this exploratory study was to identify the nature of child and family needs among Chinese families with disabled children. A sample of 101 families from two settings (urban and rural) responded to the Family Needs Survey describing their life with a child with disabilities. The findings revealed that information was a pressing need for Chinese families. Financial help and locating a doctor were the other major expressed needs. Our discussion suggests that the type of child impairment and the setting may be factors related to variability in expressed needs. Of interest was the fact that, while some needs may be culture specific, the pattern of needs was consistent with other cultures as well.
School of Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
J
J
Chen
R J
RJ
Simeonsson
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003906:Developing Countries; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012424:Rural Population; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population