Parental appraisal of the family impact of childhood developmental disability: times of sadness and times of joy.
BACKGROUND
Parental positive and negative appraisals of the family impact of childhood disability are tested as early predictors of parental self-esteem and overall family adjustment in households with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.


METHODS
Within 103 Canadian families, 103 mothers and 55 fathers independently completed interviews in their home at two time points: 6 months after their child entered childhood disability services (T1), and one year later (T2).


RESULTS
Longer-term family adjustment was found to be predicted by level of parental negative appraisal of the family impact of disability, and by level of self-esteem, for both mothers and fathers. For mothers, positive appraisal of childhood disability was also found to predict early family adjustment and was related to enhanced self-esteem.


CONCLUSIONS
Gender differences in parental appraisal of the family impact of childhood disability appear to merge over time. Both positive and negative appraisals appear to coexist and are predictive of mothers' and fathers' perceived overall family adjustment in the longer term.
Trute
Barry
B
University of Calgary, Canada. btrute@ucalgary.ca
Hiebert-Murphy
Diane
D
Levine
Kathryn
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013997:Time Factors