Predictors of Stress in Parents of Developmentally Disabled Children

Child diagnos type of early invervention program, social supportnetwork, and perceived control were examined as moderators ofstress responding in mothers of developmentally disabled children.Sixty-seven mothers completed a battery of questionnaires assessingchild characteristics, parent mood, social support, and locusof control. Child diagnosis and type of intervention did nothave a significant effect on stress response measures. Spousesupport, perceived control, and child characteristics each accountedfor significant variance in a multiple regression predictionof stress scores. Further, the amount of spouse support, lowvs. high, interacted with mothers' degree of perceived controlsuch that mothers with an internal locus of control and lessspouse support obtained considerably higher stress scores acrossall stress response measures. The role of the child as a stressorand parent moderator variables in the prediction of parentalstress are disscussed in terms of models of stress and futureresearch.