Coping Strategies of Selected Parents of Children with Difficulty on Performing Adaptive Skills

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Parenting is a difficult task. Being devoted to the family's welfare is such a big responsibility one could ever spend his time with. In view of these, the researcher focused to study on the hardships experienced by parents of children with difficulty in performing adaptive skills and how they try to cope with the difficulties attributed to the rearing of such special child with special educational needs. This study intended to look into the various coping strategies used by parents of children with difficulty in performing adaptive skills and the significant difference in their respective coping strategies.

METHODS

A descriptive survey design and t-test statistical method were used. There were 15 pairs of parents of learners with difficulty in performing adaptive skills, who served as the respondents of this study. They were chosen through purposive convenience sampling derived from a parental support group that supports the learners and parents of learners with difficulty in performing adaptive skills.

RESULTS

The results of the t-tests at 0.05 level of significance revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean scores of the fathers and mothers in any of the 8coping strategies used. The present study revealed that fathers often use confrontative coping and positive reappraisal as their coping strategies. There was no significant difference in any of the coping strategies of the fathers and the mothers. The differences may extend up to the various ways on how each parent learn to cope with the stress of rearing a child with difficulty in performing adaptive skills. Because the respondents are made to be aware of the helpful ways to function in the midst of rearing a child with special educational needs instead of withdrawing from the situation. Results indicate that parents of learners with difficulty in performing adaptive skills experience significantly higher levels of stress in comparison to all other parent group populations.

DISCUSSIONS

The number of respondents was not enough to generalize the applicability of the findings to a bigger group. It is recommended that further studies be conducted to prove the findings presented in this study, using a bigger sample group. For future studies on the same issue, the age and the gender of the child with difficulty in performing adaptive skills be considered for expanding the present study.