The study was designed to investigate the pattern of stress parents experience in bringing up their visually handicapped child by parent variable and child variable, to compare if there any differences in parents' stress coping style by parent variabl...
The study was designed to investigate the pattern of stress parents experience in bringing up their visually handicapped child by parent variable and child variable, to compare if there any differences in parents' stress coping style by parent variable and child variable, and finally to provide the visually handicapped child's parents with basic information needed to maximize the understanding and minimize the stress.
The contents of the study are as following.
First, investigate bringingup stress of visually handicapped child's parents by parent variable (age, formal schooling, whether or not employed, and monthly income).
Second, investigate bringingup stress of visually handicapped child's parents by child variable (sex, age, extent of handicap, whether or not aware the cause of handicap, whether or not double handicapped).
Third, investigate the coping style with the stress of visually handicapped child's parents by parent variable(age, formal schooling, whether or not employed, monthly income).
Forth, investigate the coping style with the stress of visually handicapped child's parents by child variable(sex, age, extent of handicap, whether or not aware of the cause of the handicap, whether or not dually handicapped).
For this purpose, I surveyed the parents with visually handicapped child at a special school. I carried out tests on bringingup stress and multi-dimensional scaling of coping style. The results are as following.
First, bringingup stress of visually handicapped child's parents was that parents over their 40 had much stress than those under their 40, no significant differences by parents' formal schooling and vocation, and that those with less income got much stress from prominency and depression.
Second, bringingup stress of visually handicapped child's parents by child variable was that there was not significant differences by child's sex. The younger the child was, their parents got more stress due to the child's such characteristics as feeling, emotion, demanding, adjustability, and activity. To the extent of handicap, parents with a child who can just manage to read a book got more stress due to the strengthening of parents' role than other parents did, parents whose child is blind got more stress due to prominency, parents who are not aware of the cause of the disability got more stress due to the child's characteristics, and parents whose child is dually handicapped got more stress due to the characteristics of both the child and the parents.
Third, coping style of visually handicapped child's parents by parent variable was that there was not significant differences by their age. Parents with formal schooling under middle school showed inactive pullback and restraint, assimilation, and resignation. Parents with formal schooling over college were active in positive interpretation, self-evaluation, and pursuit of emotional and religion support. There was not a significant difference by whether or not employed. The more income the parents made, they did more positive comparison, especially those making over 2 hundred 10 thousand won was active in pursuing emotional appeasement and support.
Forth, stress coping style of visually handicapped child's parents by child variable was as following. There was not significant differences by child's sex. The younger the child was, its parents showed more restraint and emotional appeasement. There was not significant differences by the extent of disability, whether or not aware of the cause of handicap, and whether or not dually handicapped.
Above results tell that parents with visually handicapped child got much stress in bringing up their handicapped child. Thus, in order to relieve the stress of visually handicapped child's parents, it is necessary to understand those visually handicapped children and provide practical education to culture and treat those children. Along with this, it is necessary to develop programs for effective coping with the stress, and to study systematically on the stress of visually handicapped child' s parents, which influences on the parents' bringing up attitude. There should be overall changeover of recognition on the handicapped. Also, welfare programs for the handicapped should be settled.