Stress and anxiety in parents of mentally retarded children.
BACKGROUND
Studies comparing the stress perceived by parents of mentally retarded and normal children are limited.


OBJECTIVE
(i) To find whether there exists a difference in the perceived stress between both the parents of mentally retarded children, (ii) to study whether these stresses occur more frequently in parents of mentally retarded children compared with those of normal children, and (iii) to find any correlation between the severity of perceived stressors and the anxiety state of these parents.


METHODS
This study was conducted in the Child Guidance Clinic of a tertiary care psychiatry hospital. The study sample, comprising 180 subjects, was categorized as: group A (60 parents of profound to moderately mentally retarded children), group B (60 parents of mild to borderline mentally retarded children) and group C (60 parents of children with normal intelligence), which served as the control group. Each parent was evaluated using the Family Interview for Stress and Coping (FISC) in Mental Retardation, and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS).


RESULTS
Parents in group A had a significantly higher frequency of stressors and level of anxiety as compared to those in groups B and C. A positive correlation was found between the level of anxiety and stressors.


CONCLUSIONS
Multifaceted factors made parents in groups A and B more vulnerable to stress compared with parents in the control group.
Majumdar
Mita
M
Psychologist, Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Bambolim, Goa 403202.
Da Silva Pereira
Yvonne
Y
Fernandes
John
J
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1994 Jan;35(1):171-209
8163627
Child Care Health Dev. 1980 Mar-Apr;6(2):111-25
6444552
Am J Ment Defic. 1983 Sep;88(2):150-6
6227240
Indian J Psychiatry. 1999 Oct;41(4):341-9
21430809
Child Care Health Dev. 1981 Oct;7(5):267-79
6171359
Am J Ment Retard. 1992 Nov;97(3):315-32
1449731
Br J Med Psychol. 1959;32(1):50-5
13638508
Am J Ment Defic. 1983 Sep;88(2):125-38
6638076
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1993 Sep;34(6):945-57
8408377