Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) on The Mental Health of Parents of Children With Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)

Abstract

The knowledge, attitude, and practices are very significant to maintain the good mental health of the parents of children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). The purpose of the study is to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices in influencing the mental health of the parents of children with SEND. The objectives of the study are (i) to identify the level of mental health of parents of children with SEND and (ii) to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices in influencing the mental health of parents of children with SEND. The research design of this study is a descriptive survey using a quantitative approach, whereby the questionnaire was used to collect the data from 159 parents of children with SEND in Penang state through purposive sampling. This study has used The Health Belief Model. The questionnaire was then validated by three professional experts. The descriptive analysis was used for data analysis by using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). Thus, this study found that (i) the mental health of parents is at a moderate level (M= 2.51, SD= 0.84) (ii) knowledge, attitudes, and practices in influencing the mental health of parents of children with SEND are at low level (M= 1.50, SD= 0.66). Therefore, the result showed that knowledge, attitude, and practice had predicted the mental health of parents of children with SEND. This study gives implications to the concerned parties such as the counseling department or psychologists to focus on the mental health of parents of children with SEND so they can get professional support to manage mental health issues. Therefore, concerned parties such as the Ministry of Education should provide a more comprehensive knowledge of children with SEND and activities for managing mental health issues.