Parenting practices and experiences in families of children with and without autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome : a mixed-methods inquiry

When a child is growing up with a social, physical, or intellectual disability, due to a developmental disability, parents face additional challenges in the process of raising their child, such as providing the needed care for their child and uncertainties about their childU+2019s development and future. Therefore, current family research among parents raising a child with a developmental disability mainly focuses on how parents feel (i.e., parental stress and well-being) and primarily studies the challenges these parents experience. The current dissertation aims to broaden this perspective by applying three innovative approaches. First, this dissertation attempts to broaden the focus on how parents feel by also examining what parents do in interacting with their child (i.e., specific parenting behavior). Second, this thesis adopts a more balanced perspective by focusing on the variation in both 'challenging' (e.g., need-thwarting parenting behavior, child behavioral and emotional problems, parental stress, experiences of need frustration) and 'positiveU+2019 aspects (e.g., need-supportive parenting behavior, child psychosocial strengths, positive family climate, experiences of need satisfaction) in parenting experiences and childrenU+2019s psychosocial development. Third, this dissertation applies an innovative 'cross-disability' approach, mapping parenting processes and childrenU+2019s psychosocial development across four groups: parents of children with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and a reference group of parents raising a child without a disability. This approach offers the possibility to identify important generic parenting processes, but also leaves room to highlight more disability-specific sensitivities, which can further inform parental support and family interventions.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

Toegankelijkheid:Open