Parental stress affects the psychological well-being of care givers and has been associated with increased risk of children with disabilities being taken into care.

This study set out to characterise those providing care and support to children with learning disabilities when they are about to seek outside support and care. The researchers wanted to understand under what conditions psychological well-being and parental stress are affected and they used parental stress as a mediating factor in the study.

They found that parental stress and the child’s depressive feelings strongly affected psychological well-being as well as an indirect relationship to restricted caregiver social activities.

They recommend that support services to parents and caregivers should address depressive feelings among children and facilitate the social activity of caregivers to protect their psychological well-being.

Psychological well-being of caregivers of children with intellectual disabilities: Using parental stress as a mediating factor, Cramm J & Nieboer A in Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 15, 2, 101-113