Exploring Mental Health, Self-Compassion and Support in New Parents of Children With Disabilities vs. Nondisabled Children.

TLDR

While no significant differences in mental health symptoms were observed across disability types, parents of children with autism and intellectual disabilities reported higher stress related to daily life and personal problems and faced more conflicts, lower parental competence and less support from friends.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to determine whether the type of disability (intellectual, motor, hearing, or autism spectrum) differentiates mental health, parental stress, self-compassion and perceived support among parents of children aged 0-7 years.

METHODS

The study took place anonymously from February to May 2023 using online questionnaires. Instruments such as GHQ-12, PSS-10, PSI-4-SF, Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and MSPSS were used to assess mental health, parental stress, self-compassion and social support. Tools were translated, adapted and reliability tested for Polish conditions.

RESULTS

While no significant differences in mental health symptoms were observed across disability types, parents of children with autism and intellectual disabilities reported higher stress related to daily life and personal problems. They also faced more conflicts, lower parental competence and less support from friends, particularly those with children on the autism spectrum.

CONCLUSION

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders experience the highest stress levels and lowest parental competence. Specialists should prioritize teaching self-compassion and social support utilization while continuously monitoring the mental health of these parents to improve their well-being and caregiving.