Abstract
Understanding the resilience of parents is gaining importance in the field of intellectual disability as a process of making quality adaptations involved in raising a child with intellectual disability. The present study investigated the variations in resilience with respect to locus of control orientations of 57 parents. They were assessed using Connor Davidson Resilience Scale and Internal-External Scale. Results indicated that parental locus of control orientations significantly influenced their resilience. The internal locus of control acted as a protective mechanism of resilience. The findings have specific relevance in nurturing a community of resilient parents so that they will be active participants in the rehabilitation process of their children.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bayat, M. (2007). Evidence of resilience in families of children with autism. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(9), 702–714. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2007.00960.x
Bekhet, A. K., Johnson, N. L., & Zauszniewski, J. A. (2012). Resilience in family members of persons with autism spectrum disorder: a review of the literature. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 33(10), 650–656. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840.2012.671441
Benzies, K., & Mychasiuk, R. (2009). Fostering family resiliency: a review of the key protective factors. Child & Family Social Work, 14(1), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2008.00586.x
Blacher, J., & Mink, I. T. (2004). Interviewing family members & care providers: Concepts, methodology & cultures. In E. Emerson, C. Hatton, T. Thompson, & T. R. Parmenter (Eds.), The international handbook of applied research in intellectual disabilities (pp. 133–153). Hoboken: Wiley.
Breitkreuz, R., Wunderli, L., Savage, A., & McConnell, D. (2014). Rethinking resilience in families of children with disabilities: a socioecological approach. Community, Work & Family, 17(3), 346–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2014.893228
Broberg, M., Blacher, J., & Emerson, E. (2009). Editorial for special issue on resilience and people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53, 955–1041.
Bruce, A. W., & Wilmshurst, L. (2016). Essentials of intellectual disability assessment and identification. Hoboken: Wiley.
Chadwick, D. D., Mannan, H., Garcia Iriarte, E., McConkey, R., O’Brien, P., Finlay, F., et al. (2013). Family voices: life for family Carers of people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 26(2), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12003
Chang, M.-Y., & McConkey, R. (2008). The perceptions and experiences of Taiwanese parents who have children with an intellectual disability. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 55(1), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10349120701827961
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. T. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: the Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10113
Dhar, R. L. (2009). Living with a developmental disabled child: attitude of family members in India. The Social Sciences Journal, 46, 738–755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2009.05.009
Earvolino-Ramirez, M. (2007). Resilience: a concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 42(2), 73–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6198.2007.00070.x
Ferguson, P. M. (2000). Mapping the family: Disability studies and the exploration of parental response to disability. In G. L. Albrecht, K. D. Seelman, & M. Bury (Eds.), Handbook of disability studies (pp. 373–395). California: Sage Publications.
Ferguson, P. M. (2002). A place in the family: a historical interpretation of research on parental reactions to having a child with a disability. The Journal of Special Education, 36(3), 124–130 147.
Foy, E. (1997). Parental grieving of childhood disability: a rural perspective. Australian Social Work, 50(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/03124079708415206
Gardner, J., & Harmon, T. (2002). Exploring resilience from a parent’s perspective: a qualitative study of six resilient mothers of children with an intellectual disability. Australian Social Work, 55(1), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/03124070208411672
Gerstein, E. D., Crnic, K. A., Blacher, J., & Baker, B. L. (2009). Resilience and the course of daily parenting stress in families of young children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(12), 981–997. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2009.01220.x
Gohel, M., Mukherjee, S., & Choudhary, S. (2011). Psychosocial impact on the parents of mentally retarded children in Anand district. Healthline, 2(1), 62–66.
Goodley, D., & McLaughlin, J. (2008). Productive parental alliances. In J. McLaughlin, D. Goodley, E. Clavering, et al. (Eds.), Families raising disabled children enabling care and social justice (pp. 78–104). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Grant, G., Ramcharan, P., & Flynn, M. (2007). Resilience in families with children and adult members with intellectual disabilities : tracing elements of a psycho-social model. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(6), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3148.2007.00407.x
Greeff, A. P., & van der Walt, K.-J. (2010). Resilience in families with an autistic child. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 45(3), 347–355.
Green, S. E. (2007). “We’re tired, not sad”: Benefits and burdens of mothering a child with a disability. Social Science and Medicine, 64(1), 150–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.08.025
Gupta, V. B. (2007). Comparison of parenting stress in different developmental disabilities. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 19(4), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-007-9060-x
Hassall, R., & Rose, J. (2005). Parental cognitions and adaptation to the demands of caring for a child with an intellectual disability: a review of the literature and implications for clinical interventions. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 33(1), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1017/S135246580400178X
Hassall, R., Rose, J., & McDonald, J. (2005). Parenting stress in mothers of children with an intellectual disability: the effects of parental cognitions in relation to child characteristics and family support. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49(6), 405–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2005.00673.x
Hastings, R. P., & Taunt, H. M. (2002). Positive perceptions in families of children with developmental disabilities. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 107, 116–127.
Heiman, T. (2002). Parents of children with disabilities: Resilience, coping, and future expectations. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 14(2), 159–171.
Hill, C., & Rose, J. (2009). Parenting stress in mothers of adults with an intellectual disability: parental cognitions in relation to child characteristics and family support. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(12), 969–980. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2009.01207.x
Hjemdal, O. (2007). Measuring protective factors: The development of two resilience scales in Norway. In N. Carrey, M. Ungar, & A. Martin (Eds.), Child and adolescence psychiatric clinics of North America, Resilience 16, (2) (pp. 303–321). London: Elsevier Saunders.
Hoge, E. A., Austin, E. D., & Pollack, M. H. (2007). Resilience: research evidence and conceptual considerations for posttraumatic stress disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 24(2), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20175
Jones, J., & Passey, J. (2004). Family adaptation, coping and resources : parents of children with developmental disabilities and behavior problems. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 11(1), 31–46.
Juby, C., & Rycraft, J. R. (2004). Family preservation strategies for families in poverty. Families in Society, 85(4), 581–587. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.1847
Kandel, I., & Merrick, J. (2003). The birth of a child with disability: coping by parents and siblings. The Scientific World Journal, 3, 741–750. https://doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2003.63
King, G. A., Zwaigenbaum, L., King, S., Baxter, D., Rosenbaum, P., & Bates, A. (2006). A qualitative investigation of changes in the belief systems of families of children with autism or down syndrome. Child: Care, Health and Development, 32(3), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00571.x
Kishore, M. T. (2011). Disability impact and coping in mothers of children with intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 15(4), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629511431659
Knestrict, T., & Kuchey, D. (2009). Welcome to Holland: characteristics of resilient families raising children with severe disabilities. Journal of Family Studies, 15(3), 227–244. https://doi.org/10.5172/jfs.15.3.227
Knight, K. (2013). The changing face of the “good mother”: trends in research into families with a child with intellectual disability, and some concerns. Disability & Society, 28(5), 660–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.732540
Kormanik, M. B., & Rocco, T. S. (2009). Internal versus external control of reinforcement: a review of the locus of control construct. Human Resource Development Review, 8(4), 463–483. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484309342080
Landsman, G. (2003). Emplotting children’s lives: developmental delay vs. disability. Social Science & Medicine, 56(9), 1947–1960. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00215-0
Larson, E. (1998). Reframing the meaning of disability to families: the embrace of paradox. Social Science Medicine, 47(7), 865–875.
Lazarus, R. (1999). Stress and emotion: A new synthesis. New York: Springer.
Lee, J. (2013). Maternal stress, well-being, and impaired sleep in mothers of children with developmental disabilities: a literature review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34(11), 4255–4273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2013.09.008
Lloyd, T., & Hastings, R. P. (2009a). Parental locus of control and psychological well-being in mothers of children with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 34(June), 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668250902862074
Lloyd, T. J., & Hastings, R. (2009b). Hope as a psychological resilience factor in mothers and fathers of children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(12), 957–968. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2009.01206.x
Luthar, S. S. (1991). Vulnerability and resilience: a study of high-risk adolescents. Child Development, 62(3), 600–616. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01555.x
Luthar, S. S. (1993). Methodological and conceptual issues in research on childhood resilience. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34(4), 441–453. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1993.tb01030.x
Luthar, S. S., & Cicchetti, D. (2000). The construct of resilience: implications for interventions and social policies. Development and Psychopathology, 12(4), 857–885.
Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: a critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3), 543–562.
Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.56.3.227
McConnell, D., & Savage, A. (2015). Stress and resilience among families caring for children with intellectual disability: expanding the research agenda. Current Developmental Disorders Reports, 2(2), 100–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-015-0040-z
McConnell, D., Savage, A., & Breitkreuz, R. (2014). Resilience in families raising children with disabilities and behavior problems. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35(4), 833–848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.01.015
Muir, K., & Strnadová, I. (2014). Whose responsibility? Resilience in families of children with developmental disabilities. Disability & Society, 29(6), 922–937. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2014.886555
Murphy, N. A., Christian, B., Caplin, D. A., & Young, P. C. (2007). The health of caregivers for children with disabilities: caregiver perspectives. Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(2), 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00644.x
Olsson, M. B. (2008). Understanding individual differences in adaptation in parents of children with intellectual disabilities: A risk and resilience perspective. In L. M. Glidden (Ed.), International review of research in mental retardation, 36 (pp. 281–315). Burlington: Academic Press.
Peer, J. W., & Hillman, S. B. (2014). Stress and resilience for parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a review of key factors and recommendations for practitioners. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 11(2), 92–98.
Peshawaria, R., Menon, D., Ganguly, R., Roy, S., Pillay, R. P. R. S, & Gupta, A. (1995). Understanding Indian families having persons with mental retardation. Secunderabad: National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped.
Pilusa, N.E. (2006). The impact of mental retardation on family functioning. University of Pretoria. Retrieved from http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09182008/dissertation.pdf.
Reichman, N. E., Corman, H., & Noonan, K. (2008). Impact of child disability on the family. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 12(6), 679–683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-007-0307-z
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monograph, 80, 1–28.
Ryan, S., & Runswick-Cole, K. (2008). Repositioning mothers: mothers, disabled children and disability studies. Disability & Society, 23(3), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687590801953937
Scorgie, K., & Sobsey, D. (2000). Transformational outcomes associated with parenting children who have disabilities. Mental Retardation, 38, 195–206.
Siman-Tov, A., & Kaniel, S. (2011). Stress and personal resource as predictors of the adjustment of parents to autistic children: a multivariate model. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(7), 879–890. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1112-x
Upadhyaya, G. R., & Havalappanavar, N. B. (2008). Stress in parents of the mentally challenged. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 34, 53–59.
Walsh, F. (2008). Understanding theory to support a family resilience framework in practice. Social Work Now, 39, 5–14.
Winders, S.-J. (2014). From extraordinary invulnerability to ordinary magic: a literature review of resilience. Journal of European Psychology Students, 5(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.5334/jeps.bk
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Funding
There is no source of funding information to be disclosed.
Ethical Approval
The ethical approval to carry out the study was obtained from the research board of the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Secunderabad, India. All procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was taken from all parents who participated in the study.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rajan, A.M., Srikrishna, G. & Romate, J. Resilience and Locus of Control of Parents Having a Child with Intellectual Disability. J Dev Phys Disabil 30, 297–306 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9586-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9586-0