Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Boston College, Lynch School of Education, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
J Intellect Disabil Res. 2013 Jun;57(6):513-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01555.x. Epub 2012 May 8.
Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) face greater caregiving demands than parents of children without DD. There is considerable variability in parents' adjustment to raising a child with DD, however. In line with a strengths-based approach, this study explores coping strategies as potential mechanisms of resilience among mothers of adolescents with DD. This study examines the frequency with which mothers use various coping strategies and the extent to which those strategies moderate the relationship between adolescent behaviour problems and aspects of maternal well-being. Both positive and negative dimensions of well-being are explored, with maternal depressive symptoms and perceived parenting efficacy examined as outcomes cross-sectionally and longitudinally.
The present study focuses on 92 mothers and their adolescents with DD. The adolescents had a wide range of diagnoses, all with continuing special needs. Data were collected from mothers through interviews and self-administered questionnaires when their adolescents were aged 15 and aged 18. A structured assessment of the adolescent was completed during home visits at age 15.
Mothers reported frequently using strategies of denial and planning but rarely using strategies of mental and behavioural disengagement to cope with recent stressful situations. Adolescent behaviour problems were found to contribute to greater symptoms of depression and lower feelings of parenting efficacy as well as increases in depressive symptoms over time. Mothers of sons, but not daughters, reported increases in parenting efficacy across their child's adolescent period. Above and beyond adolescent factors, several coping strategies emerged as significant predictors of mothers' symptoms of depression and perceived parenting efficacy. Moreover, use of Active Coping/Planning, Positive Reinterpretation/Growth, and Behavioural/Mental Disengagement as coping strategies moderated the impact of adolescent behaviour problems on maternal depressive symptoms.
This study extends previous findings by focusing on both positive and negative dimensions of parent well-being during their child's adolescent period. Adolescence can be a stressful time for parents, with typical developmental tasks entailing additional strains for parents of adolescents with DD. The present findings point to several coping strategies that may reduce the impact of challenging behaviours during this period on mothers' symptoms of depression and feelings of parenting efficacy. Certain coping strategies were found to exert a greater impact on maternal well-being for parents of adolescents with higher levels of behaviour problems, suggesting that interventions may benefit from an increased focus on this group of mothers with heightened caregiving demands.
与没有发育障碍（DD）的儿童的父母相比，有发育障碍儿童的父母面临更大的养育需求。然而，父母对养育有发育障碍儿童的适应能力存在很大差异。根据基于优势的方法，本研究探讨了应对策略作为有发育障碍青少年母亲适应力的潜在机制。本研究考察了母亲使用各种应对策略的频率，以及这些策略在多大程度上调节了青少年行为问题与母亲幸福感各个方面之间的关系。本研究探讨了幸福感的积极和消极两个方面，分别考察了母亲的抑郁症状和感知育儿效能感作为横向和纵向的结果。
本研究关注 92 名母亲及其患有 DD 的青少年。这些青少年有各种各样的诊断，都有持续的特殊需求。通过对青少年进行访谈和自我管理问卷收集母亲的数据，当他们的青少年 15 岁和 18 岁时。在青少年 15 岁时的家庭访问中完成了对青少年的结构化评估。
母亲报告经常使用否认和计划策略，但很少使用心理和行为脱离策略来应对最近的压力情况。研究发现，青少年行为问题导致抑郁症状加重、育儿效能感降低以及抑郁症状随时间增加。与女儿相比，儿子的母亲报告说，在孩子的青少年时期，他们的育儿效能感有所提高。除了青少年因素外，一些应对策略也成为母亲抑郁症状和感知育儿效能感的显著预测因素。此外，积极应对/计划、积极重新解释/成长以及行为/心理脱离策略的使用作为应对策略，调节了青少年行为问题对母亲抑郁症状的影响。
本研究通过关注儿童青少年时期父母幸福感的积极和消极两个方面，扩展了以前的研究结果。青春期对父母来说可能是一个压力时期，典型的发展任务给有发育障碍青少年的父母带来了额外的压力。本研究结果指出了几种应对策略，这些策略可能会减轻这段时间挑战性行为对母亲抑郁症状和育儿效能感的影响。对于行为问题水平较高的青少年的父母来说，某些应对策略对母亲的幸福感产生了更大的影响，这表明干预措施可能受益于增加对这群高养育需求的母亲的关注。
