1. Objectifs

Questions/Hypothèses :
- « H1 : Each group of parents of a disabled infant will display greater levels of parenting stress and a lower level of adaptation than parents of a non-disabled infant;
- H2 : There will be significant differences in parenting stress and adaptation across the three groups of disabled infants;
- H3 : Mothers will report more stress and a lower level of adaptation than fathers. » (p. 380)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The sample consisted of 144 mothers and fathers of 72 6 month-old infants. Sixteen infants were diagnosed with DS [Down’s syndrome], 18 with CHD [Congenital heart disease], 19 with CLP [cleft lip and/or palate], and 19 were non-disabled (ND). This sample came from a larger longitudinal study on the adaptation of parents to an infant with a physical disability and the effect of an intervention program developed to help these parents. Participants were recruited by nurses throughout 14 urban and semi-urban hospitals in the Montréal and Québec city area (Canada) from September 1993 to April 1995. » (pp. 380-381)

Instruments :
- Stress Appraisal Measure (Peacock and Wong, 1990);
- Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1990);
- Psychological Distress Index of the Quebec Health Survey (Préville et al., 1992).

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« The adaptation of 144 parents to a disabled infant was studied in relation to the type of disability presented by their 6-months baby. Participants were divided according to 3 types of disability and 1 control group: parents of 16 infants with Down’s syndrome (DS), 18 infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), 19 infants with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP), and 19 with no disability (ND). The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire given to each parent 6 months after the birth of their baby. The measures included parenting stress, stress appraisal, and psychological distress. Overall, the results indicate that parents of infants with DS and parents of infants with CHD report greater levels of parenting stress and psychological distress than parents of babies with CLP or non-disabled infants. Mothers were found to report greater levels of stress and distress overall, but differences across diagnostic groups were similar for mothers and fathers. The implications of the findings for theory and clinical intervention are discussed. » (p. 377)