Marital Intimacy in Parents of Exceptional Children

Sandra Fisman · Lucille C. Wolf · Samuel Noh

107 citations0/0 files storedThe Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

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Family and Disability Support Research Family Dynamics and Relationships Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of perceived parenting stress and parental depression on marital intimacy between parents of handicapped children versus developmentally normal children, and to investigate discrepancies between husbands' and wives' reports of marital intimacy. The parents of 31 autistic children, 31 Down Syndrome children and 62 developmentally normal children, matched for both mental and chronological age were studied. Results indicated significantly greater stress and depression, as well as lower marital intimacy for mothers of autistic children than mothers of normal children, and significantly greater stress than mothers of Down Syndrome children who fell somewhere between other groups of parents in all three measures. Fathers of autistic children experienced significantly higher parenting stress than the other groups, as well as lower marital intimacy but there were no differences amongst fathers on measures of depression. Low scores on subscales of identity and compatibility for mothers implying low self esteem contributed significantly to the lowered perception of marital intimacy. Implications for intervention, based on these findings, are discussed.

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References

1961An Inventory for Measuring Depression 1995Parenting stress index manual 1980Marital discord and childhood behavior problems 1971PARENT‐CHILD SEPARATION: PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON THE CHILDREN 1985Revision of the Parenting Stress Index 1984Differences, Difficulties and Adaptation: Stress and Social Networks in Families with a Handicapped Child 1981Chronic sorrow revisited: Parent vs. professional depiction of the adjustment of parents of mentally retarded children.1983Family Stress, Coping and Social Support

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2008The Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (EIPSES)2004Comparison Groups in Autism Family Research: Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, and Schizophrenia 2000Families of adolescents and adults with autism: Uncharted territory 2003Influence of macrostructure of society on the life situation of families with a child with intellectual disability: Sweden as an example 1991The Handicapped Child: Psychological Effects of Parental, Marital, and Sibling Relationships

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