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Maternal responses to child frustration and requests for help in dyads with fragile X syndrome
- Authors:
- WHEELER A.C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(6), June 2010, pp.501-515.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Variability in the behaviour of children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) may be partially attributable to environmental factors such as maternal responsivity. This study explored variables associated with maternal behaviour during a task designed to elicit frustration in their children with FXS. Forty-six mother–child dyads, in which the child had full-mutation FXS (mean age 61.64 months), were observed in their homes. The child was given a wrong set of keys and asked to open a box to retrieve a desired toy. Mothers were provided with the correct set and told to intervene when they perceived their child was getting too frustrated. Child-expressed frustration and requests for help and maternal behaviours (comforting, negative control, and encouraging/directing) were recorded. Maternal variables (depression, stress, education levels), child variables (autistic behaviours, age, medication use) and child behaviours (frustration, requests for help) were explored as predictors of maternal behaviour. Almost all mothers intervened to help their children and most used encouraging/directing behaviours; very few used comforting or negative control. Child age and behaviours during the exercise were significant predictors of encouraging/directing behaviours in the mothers. Children whose mothers reported higher depressive symptomology used fewer requests for help, and mothers of children with more autistic behaviours used more negative control. It is concluded that child age and immediate behaviours are more strongly related to maternal responsivity than maternal traits such as depression and stress.
Examining the Down syndrome advantage: mothers and fathers of young children with disabilities
- Author:
- STONEMAN Z.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(12), December 2007, pp.1006-1017.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Across studies and across outcomes, parents of children with Down syndrome have been found to experience greater well-being than parents of children with other intellectual disabilities (ID). This study examined the extent to which differences in family income and child temperamental difficulty can explain why parents of children with Down syndrome experience greater well-being. Fifty married couples who were parents of young children with ID completed a set of questionnaires measuring child temperament, parent satisfaction with social support, depression and parenting beliefs. Parents were observed interacting with their children. When groups were compared without consideration of demographic differences, the findings generally replicated the Down syndrome advantage found by other researchers. After variance attributable to income was removed, however, the Down syndrome advantage disappeared for all parenting and parent wellness measures. The effects of child temperament were confined to maternal and paternal depression. Family income was more important than child etiology in predicting the parent measures used in the study.
The relationship between behaviours exhibited by children with autism and maternal stress
- Authors:
- TOMANIK Stacey, HARRIS Gerald E., HAWKINS Jacqueline
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 29(1), March 2004, pp.16-26.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The present study investigated the relationship between behaviours exhibited by children with pervasive developmental disorders, particularly autism, and maternal stress levels. Participants consisted of 60 mothers who had a child diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder by an independent practitioner using DSM-IV criteria. Children were between 2 and 7 years of age. Mothers completed the following self-report measures: the Parenting Stress Index (short-form), the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scales and a demographic questionnaire. Two-thirds of the participants in the sample evidenced stress scores that were significantly elevated. Regression analyses revealed that child maladaptive behaviour and child adaptive behaviour accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in maternal stress. Methodological issues and considerations for future research are discussed.
Foster parents for persons with mental retardation in Israel: motivation, role perception and their view of the foster person
- Authors:
- RIMMERMAN Arie, DUVDEVANY Ilana
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 39(3), July 1996, pp.329-338.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This study examines two questions: what motivate Israeli mothers to choose the role of foster parents for persons with mental retardation, and how do they see their role, as parental or as non-parental? The population studied comprised 130 foster mothers for persons with mental retardation. The primary findings were that foster mothers' child-related motivation was positively associated to their view of the foster persons' advancement in terms of level of functioning, and that foster parents who viewed their role as parental reported a higher quality of contact with the foster persons. Findings are interpreted in respect to policy and practice.