The impact of child, family, and professional support characteristics on the quality of life in families of young children with disabilities.
BACKGROUND
Families of young children with disabilities are faced with ongoing challenges that impact various aspects of family life. Given the increasing emphasis on promoting positive outcomes in these families, the overall aim of the current study was to examine the contribution of child, family, and support characteristics to the quality of life in families of young children with disabilities.


METHODS
The sample was recruited from several early childhood intervention programs within metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, and consisted of 64 families of children aged between 3 and 5 years with a developmental delay or disability.


RESULTS
As a whole, parental perceptions and experiences of family-centred professional support was one of the strongest predictors of family quality of life. The perceived intensity of child behavioural problems as well as support from extended family members also accounted for a significant proportion of unique variance in predicting quality of family life.


CONCLUSIONS
The current findings provide further evidence for the importance of a family-focused approach to intervention that acknowledges and provides support that is tailored to the unique needs of each individual family. The practical implications of these results as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Davis
Kate
K
Division of Psychology, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia. kate.davis@student.rmit.edu.au
Gavidia-Payne
Susana
S
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires