title: Parental perceptions of family adjustment in childhood developmental disabilities.
abstract: Based on the adjustment phase of the double ABC-X model of family stress (McCubbin and Patterson, 1983) this study examined the impact of parenting stress, positive appraisal of the impact of child disability on the family, and parental self-esteem on parental perceptions of family adjustment in families of children with disabilities. For mothers, self-esteem and positive appraisal predicted maternal-perceived family adjustment and mediated the relationship between parenting stress and family adjustment. For fathers, while self-esteem and positive appraisal were not significant in directly predicting perceived family adjustment, self-esteem moderated the relationship between parenting stress and family adjustment. These results suggest that interventions that bolster self-esteem in parents may be useful in enhancing perceptions of family adjustment. Similarly, interventions that enhance mothers' experiences of the positive aspects of parenting a child with disabilities hold potential to strengthen family adjustment.
authors: University of Manitoba, Canada. snthompson@neha.mb.ca
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Thompson
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Hiebert-Murphy
authors: Barry
authors: B
authors: Trute
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000451:nursing*; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires