A Study of the Protective Factor and Perceived Stigma Among Parents of People with Developmental Disabilities

Background

People with developmental disabilities and their parents have felt negatively about psychological outcomes. In general, perceived stigma is associated with emotional problems such as resentment, self-blame, depression, etc. For the parents who care their disabled children, the perceived stigma considers as primary stressors. However, the perceived stigma has not been treated as major variable for parents of people with developmental disability. Furthermore, factors related to the individual and environment should be considered when examining the impact of perceived stigma. Therefore, present study examines the significant factors which associated with perceived stigma. Especially, focusing on protective factors (Positive refocusing, social support, social participation, PTG).

Methods

From February to April 2021, data was collected from parents' associations of people with disabilities in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and other major provinces in South Korea. We selected and analyzed the data of 200 parents who live with their children. This study was approved by the Institute Review Board. The multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the protective factors related to perceived stigma and placed all variables first (Protective and risk factors).

*Protective factors (Positive refocusing, social support, social participation, PTG)

*Risk factor (Acceptance)

Results

In the final analysis, the positive refocusing was associated with perceived stigma (β = -.213, p < .05. Also, the social support (β = -.155, p < .05), social participation (β = -.148, p < .05) and PTG (β = -.214, p < .05) were significant association with perceived stigma as protective factors. However, as for risk factor of perceived stigma, the acceptance was significant associated with parent’s perceived stigma (β = .208, p < .05).

Implications

The major findings of this study have examined the impact factors associated with parents of people with developmental disability. Specifically, the protective factors (Positive refocusing, social support, social participation, PTG) and risk factor (Acceptance) were associated to perceived stigma. This study found that acceptance increases perceived stigma. The results indicate that accepting attitudes toward children's situations do not necessarily manifest in a positive way for parents. Furthermore, the findings indicated that both protective and risk factors had an influence on parent’s perceived stigma simultaneously. However, the protective factors should be emphasized for those parents than risk factor. In these findings, it is suggested that supporting programs (consultation, social support, participation, etc.) and policies be put in place for parents of children with developmental disabilities.