Skip to main content
Log in

Voluntary parents to multiple children with special needs: A profile

  • Regular Papers
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A sample of 18 women and men who accompanied their foster or adopted children with severe developmental disabilities to a medical appointment at Henry Ford's Multidisciplinary Care Clinic during the one-year period and who reported during that appointment that they currently had residing with them at least three foster or adopted children with special needs are described in the context of their parental role vis-a-vis these children. Results of the study are presented through use of a six-part organizational scheme: demographic and social traits of the parents and their focal children (the children being seen at the Clinic that day), the focal children in family context, life satisfactions of the parents, foster or adoption motives (whichever applied), foster or adoption satisfactions, and parental sentiments regarding the children as a group.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Birenbaum, A., & Re, M. A. (1983). Family care providers: Sources of role strain and its management.Journal of Family Issues, 4 633–658.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Staruch, K. S., & Mortimer, E. A., Jr. (1982). Psychological distress in mothers of disabled children.American Journal of Disabled Children, 136 682–686.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burrell, B. (1990).The relationship between child abuse potential and the presence of a family member with a handicap. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Seattle, WA.

  • Campbell, A. (1981).The sense of well-being in America. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donohue Transcript #04155. (1984). Cincinnati, OH: Multimedia Entertainment, Inc.

  • Edmonds, V. H. (1967). Marriage conventionalization: Definition and measurement.Journal of Marriage and the Family, 29 681–688.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glauber, S. (1985). “35 is Enough.” 60 Minutes, XVII (52). NY: CBS Productions.

  • Glenn, N. D., & McLanahan, S. (1981). The effects of offspring on the psychological well-being of older adults.Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43 409–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glidden, L. M. (1989).Parents for children, children for parents. Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glidden, L. M. (1990). The wanted ones: Families adopting children with mental retardation. In L. M. Glidden (Ed.),Formed families (pp. 177–206). New York: The Haworth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glidden, L. M. (1991). Adopted children with developmental disabilities: Post-placement family functioning.Children and Youth Services Review, 13 363–377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glidden, L. M., & Pursley, J. T. (1989). Longitudinal comparisons of families who have adopted children with mental retardation.American Journal of Mental Retardation, 94 272–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goetting, A. (1986). Parental satisfaction: A review of research.Journal of Family Issues, 7 83–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goetting, A., & Goetting, M. G. (1993). Adoptive parents of severely developmentally disabled children: A profile.Children and Youth Services Review, 15 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goetting, A., & Goetting, M. G. (1994). Foster home providers to severely developmentally disabled children and young adults: A profile.Sociological Studies of Children, 5.

  • Hampson, R. B. (1975).Selecting and training foster parents as therapists: Community care for handicapped children. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

  • Hampson, R. B., & Tavormina, J. B. (1980). Feedback from the experts: A study of foster mothers.Social Work, 25 108–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx, J. (1991). Better me than somebody else: Families reflect on their adoption of children with developmental disabilities. In L. M. Glidden (Ed.),Formed families (pp. 141–174). New York: The Haworth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, K. A. (1985).On the frontier of adoption: A study of special needs adoptive families. New York: Child Welfare League of America, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romans-Clarkson, S. E., Clarkson, J. R., Dittmer, I. D., Flett, R., Linsell, C., Mullen, P. E. & Mullen, B. (1986). Impact of a handicapped child on mental health of parents.British Medical Journal, 293 1395–1397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal, J. A., Groze, V., & Aguilar, G. D. (1991). Adoption outcomes for children with handicaps.Child Welfare, 70 623–636.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanderson, H. W., & Crawley, M. (1982). Characteristics of successful family-care parents.American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 86 519–525

    Google Scholar 

  • Secord, P. F., & Backman, C. W. (1974).Social psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Hook, M. P. (1984).Prosocial behavior: A study of foster mothers who care for retarded children and adults. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University, New Brunswick: New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goetting, A., Goetting, M.G. Voluntary parents to multiple children with special needs: A profile. J Child Fam Stud 2, 353–369 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01321231

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01321231

Key words

Navigation