Transition to school research has largely overlooked parents' experiences, particularly fathers. Addressing this gap, we gathered speech samples from UK parents (93 mothers, Mean age = 37.1 years; SD = 4.6 years; and 70 fathers, Mean age = 38.0 years; SD = 3.59 years) that captured their experiences of the school transition. This study (a)…

Research Findings: Marginal food security is less studied relative to food insecurity but may also have adverse effects on family outcomes. The present study examined whether parental stress mediated the relationship between marginal food security (MFS) and preschool-aged children's observed self-regulation at three early education centers located…

Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses unique challenges that may impact parents' mental health and parenting experiences. The current study analyzed self-report data from 77 parents of youth with ASD. A serial multiple mediation model revealed that parenting stress (SIPA) and parental mental health (BAI and BDI-II) appears to…

The study, with 54 mothers and 54 fathers, found parents of children with disabilities reported more caregiving requirements and stress in all domains. Significant differences between mothers and fathers were found with mothers generally reporting more stress than fathers. Stress was negatively associated with amount of informal support for…

This paper addresses issues in the separation of level of functioning of a child with mental retardation and the general life satisfaction of parents in research on the effects of such children on their parents' level of psychological stress. It also urges development of instruments that do not mix items measuring physical demands and those…

Analysis of questionnaires completed by 257 parents of children with multiple disabilities (of which 25 had previously substantiated maltreatment reports) on perceptions of stress and burden of care found no relationship between a history of child maltreatment and currently perceived stress levels. (DB)

This study of depression and anxiety found (1) no significant differences between parents with (n=49) and without (n=47) children having mental retardation; (2) higher anxiety levels in women than men; and (3) higher anxiety levels in parents with shorter experience with the child. (DB)

The relationship between family life or stress events and rates of maternal reports of child behavior and child-rearing problems was studied in a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand preschool-aged children. Journal Availability: See EC 152 486. (Author/SEW)

A review of studies that used the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress with families rearing children with developmental disabilities identified three primary difficulties: (1) definitional problems: (2) multiple measures of the same construct that do not converge: and (3) failure to replicate. Solution strategies include separating demands,…

Studies families showing parenting difficulties and examines possible origins of those difficulties. Findings demonstrate a strong link between multiple parenting breakdown and markedly disrupted family experiences in childhood. Concludes that explanatory models based exclusively on either personal or material factors are inadequate. (RH)

Using an individual differences multidimensional scaling method with a sample of (N=38) parents, four dimensions of stress were identified. The first dimension, major versus minor child problems, was most problematic for parents and highly related to a set of adjectives describing unpleasant or stressful emotional states. (Author)

Parental stress and family dysfunction were examined in 55 families with and 55 families without young children with developmental disabilities. Although families of disabled children showed higher levels of stress, they were only minimally different from control families in their family functioning, indicating high degrees of resiliency.…

This paper presents a review of the literature on stress and coping in families with children having spina bifida and offers a transactional model to study the parent child interaction in these families. The conclusions drawn from the literature review are the following: both parent and child in the family setting need to be considered as both…

Path models on random samples of 159 fathers and 275 mothers in Utah were used to examine direct and indirect relations between parenting difficulty and variables reflecting family stressors, social and personal resources, and background characteristics. Findings suggest that parenting difficulty appears to be significantly affected by the…

Parents of 23 Alberta, Canada, children with mild to severe mental handicaps were asked to describe their parenting experiences. Parental concerns were analyzed in terms of severity of the handicapping condition and dealt with education and social integration, emotional stresses, future prospects, impact on the family, support systems, and…