| Description: |
Studies among parents of children with disabilities have shown that they experience a higher level of parenting stress as well as a lower degree of wellbeing, compared to parents of children without disabilities. However, there is a need to further explore parents’ experience on this matter within a Swedish context. The aim of the current study was to examine how parents of preschool children, with and without disabilities, in Västerbotten, experience the impact of their child. A sample of 67 parents of children with disabilities and 134 parents of children without disabilities took part in the questionnaire study. Data was compared between as well as within the groups on the domains: negative impact, negative feelings toward parenting, social relationships, positive feelings toward parenting, impact on siblings, and impact on marriage. With the exception of impact on marriage, the results showed a difference in experience between parents of preschool children with disabilities and parents of preschool children without disabilities on all domains, where the impact on parents of preschool children with disabilities was higher. This result confirms earlier studies, that parents of preschool children with disabilities face a higher risk of experiencing parenting stress. The results also confirmed earlier studies concerning children with a disability and their age, showing that the experience of the child’s negative impact on parents of children with a disability seem to increase during the latter period of preschool age. |