Spina Bifida Children and Their Parents: A Population Prone to Family Dysfunction?

Spina bifida children of normal intelligence and their parentswere compared with a carefully matched control group of nondisabledchildren and their parents in a hierarchically oriented assessmentof individual, marital, and family functioning. Contrary topopular hypotheses that families with a handicapped child areespecially vulnerable to stress and psychological problems,results across all measures revealed no differences betweenthe two groups. Further, no differences were found between mothersand fathers on the various measures. These results support theview that nonretarded spina bifida children and their parentshave no special psychological characteristics that distinguishthem from nonhandicapped children and their parents. The findingsalso underscore the strengths and coping skills of handicappedchildren and their families. The tendency of researchers andclinicians to focus on the deviant aspects of these populationsmay obscure the fact that many may be adapting successfully.