Study Says Raising Kids with Special Needs Creates Parental Stress
Are you surprised to hear that a new study conducted by Case Western Reserve University concluded that parenting a child with chronic special needs creates parental stress? No, I’m not either. Nor is any parent whose raised a child with chronic medical needs. But it’s gratifying to know that Case Western’s review confirms our experience.
What the Parental Stress Study Did
The study, “Parenting Stress Among Caregivers of Children With Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review” assessed 96 peer-reviewed studies in 12 countries between 1980 and 2012. The studies involved parents of kids with asthma, cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and/or sickle cell disease. Many of those studies had examined parental stress associated with those specific illnesses, but this was one of the first to integrate everything into one report to provide a broader view.
What the Parental Stress Study Learned
Two of the main findings were that 15% of parents in the United States have chronically ill children with special needs. Researchers also found that the care demands associated with the illnesses caused greater stress than did the severity or length of the child’s illness. The study also noted several causes of stress:
- Integrating responsibilities of caring for the chronically ill child (appointments, therapies, treatments, school issues) into the regular family routine.
- Watching a child in pain.
- Worrying about the child’s vulnerability
- Explaining health issues to those outside the family
What Can Be Done About Parental Stress
The study found these three tips can help parents relieve their stress:
- Be open to assistance from friends and family
- Share special needs parenting responsibilities rather than expect one parent to shoulder them
- Talk to the doctor about parental stress
Details of the study can be found at Parenting Stress Among Caregivers of Children With Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review
What Do You Do About Stress?
So, that’s what the Case Western experts say. But how about you, the caregiver of a child who lives with chronic illness. How do you relieve your stress? Leave a comment!
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By Jolene
Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She’s also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon. The first book in her cozy mystery series, See Jane Run!, features people with disabilities and will be released in June of 2022.
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Following those three little tips will have a big impact. I also think that stepping back, taking a deep breath, and counting to ten can be very helpful, and of course praying. Thanks for linking up to FF this week. I look forward to your upcoming blog link up, Jolene!