As parents having children with developmental disabilities are high demand in care support, which requires parents’lifelong commitment over the course of their lifetime, a study on factors influencing the care burden according to children’s life c...
As parents having children with developmental disabilities are high demand in care support, which requires parents’lifelong commitment over the course of their lifetime, a study on factors influencing the care burden according to children’s life cycle is especially needed. Different kinds of care burden should be notified such as physical, emotional, social, financial burdens according to the stages of children’s life cycle. The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in the level of parents’burden of care, and to explore the factors that affect the burden of care throughout different stages of children’s life cycle. The results of study are as follows. According to analysis of variance result, the physical and financial burdens were the highest among parents with children in their childhood. However, the emotional and social burdens did not seem to be statistically significant. It means that physical and financial burdens were decreased as children grow older, but the emotional and social burdens kept in similar level. The sense of emotional and social burden to parents of children with developmental disabilities in child care was quite stable, regardless of the children’s life cycle. According to the factor analysis of the physical burden of caregiving by each stage of children’s life cycle, in their childhood, the degree of disability, the condition of physical health, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. In children’s adolescence, the degree of disability, care hours, the condition of physical health, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. Only for parents having children in their adolescence, care hours was a significant factor. According to the factor analysis of the emotional burden of caregiving by each stage of children’s life cycle, in their childhood, the level of depression, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. In children’s adolescence, the degree of disability, parents’age, the level of depression conflict between spouse were statistically significant. According to the factor analysis of the social burden of caregiving by each stage of children’s life cycle, in their childhood, the degree of disability, the positive sense of child care, the condition of physical health, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. In children’s adolescence, the degree of disability, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. According to the factor analysis of the social burden of caregiving by each stage of children’s life cycle, in their childhood, household income, care hours, the condition of physical health, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. In children’s adolescence, the condition of physical health, conflict between spouse were statistically significant. Based on these results, the implications are as follows. First, the factor analysis of four different burden models was not statistically significant for only parents having children with developmental disabilities in their adulthood. It means that according to children’s life cycle, the factor influencing the care burdens are different, so it is necessary to develop a variety of different the support services. Second, the degree of disability was statistically significant both in children’s childhood and adolescence, and in physical, emotional, social burdens. It means the degree of disability is significant factor for parents having children with developmental disabilities. Third, conflict between spouse on the family level was statistically significant both in children’s childhood and adolescence, and in physical, emotional, social, financial burdens. It means the relationship with the spouse for parents having children with developmental disabilities. Fourth, it is significantly founded that the social support was not significant factor in four burdens.