Stress and coping strategies in parents of children with special needs

Objectives: To identify the stress level and commonly used coping strategies of parents having children with special needs. Method: The correlational study was conducted from January to April 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised parents of special children from three special schools of the city. Data was collected using the Coping Strategies Inventory and the Perceived Stress Scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 24. Results: Of the 150 children, 98(65%) were aged <10 years. Among the parents, 108(65.5%) faced moderate stress, 8(4.8%) faced low stress and 34(20.6%) faced high level of stress. Mean score was the highest for cognitive restructuring as the coping strategy 14.95 +/- 2.87, followed by problem-solving 14.81 +/- 2.98. There was a significant negative correlation of stress with cognitive restructuring (<0.01), positive link with problem-focused engagement (p<0.05), positive correlation with self-criticism (p<0.001), social withdrawal (p<0.01), and emotion-focussed disengagement (p<0.001). High level of stress was positively associated with high level of disengagement (p<0.05). Conclusion: Parents were found to be using more positive and practical strategies to cope with stress induced by taking care of children with special needs.