Social support and anxiety levels of parents with disabled children.
OBJECTIVE
This is a descriptive study carried out to determine the state-trait anxiety and social support perceptions of parents with disabled children.


METHODS
This study has been carried out on 75 parents whose children attended the Private Rehabilitation Center. The data included the personal information form composed by the investigators, the state-trait anxiety inventory, and the multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support.


RESULTS
The disabilities of the children were mental in 26.7%, physical in 25.3%, and physical/mental in 12%. As the degree of disability increased and the income levels decreased, the trait anxiety scores of the parents increased. There was a significant negative correlation between parental age and social support. Among the parents, 37.3% experienced problems with their spouses after having a child with a disability.


CONCLUSIONS
The development and implementation of alternative support systems for of parents with disabled children would be beneficial.
School of Health, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
Nurcan
N
Özyazıcıoğlu
Gonca
G
Buran
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support
Disability; anxiety; family caregiving; parents; pediatrics; social support