Optimizing Psychological Wellbeing, by Lowering Parental Stress in Parents of Intellectually Disabled Children.

Abstract

Intellectual disability is one of the most prevalent developmental disabilities of the children globally. As per the reports of the Disability Statistics in India 2017, which was updated from the census data of 2011, there are 1.5 million people with intellectual disability (Kumar, 2017). Though this number is alarming, there are less statistical data’s available to describe about the family members, who is suffering because of intellectually disabled children. Family is the main source of support for those disabled children in any society. Parents experience enormous physical and mental stress while dealing with the intellectually disabled children (Islam, Shanaz, & Farjana, 2013). It could be an unfavourable and challenging occurrence that could follow the possibility of frustration, feeling of sadness, and hopelessness. Various evidences indicate that the parents of the intellectually disabled children face emotional, social and economic problems that are often limiting, destructive and conclusive in nature, (Boromand, Narimani, & Mosazadeh, 2014), since intellectual disability is a permanent condition unlike many other diseases (ThiyamKiran Singh, Indla, & Indla, 2008). Perceiving stress in these parents is hence unavoidable in families with Intellectually Disabled children. When the parental stress is more, less psychological wellbeing will be existing for the parents. Hence, in this study, the researcher correlates perceived stress related to certain demographic variables like age, occupation & income with psychological wellbeing by a valid scale. The study was done with sixty parents, in Cuddalore district of Tamilnadu.