INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
Exploring Stress, Coping, and Social Support among Parents of  
Children with Disabilities in Chamba, Nanumba North Municipality,  
Ghana.  
Joshua-Luther Ndoye Upoalkpajor  
Department Of Counsellng Psychology, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.  
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91100256  
Received: 21 November 2025; Accepted: 28 November 2025; Published: 06 December 2025  
ABSTRACT  
The term "psychological distress" described a state of emotional suffering marked by anxiety symptoms like  
tension and restlessness and depression symptoms like lost interest and hopelessness. Given that raising children  
with special needs can present numerous challenges, parents of these children are likely to be more vulnerable to  
psychological distress. These parents would endure high levels of stress and often become depressed, frustrated,  
and disappointed with their children's development due to the long-term problems of children with mental  
retardation and physical-motor disorders and the requirement for ongoing treatment. The purpose of this study  
was to determine the types of psychological distress experienced by parents of special needs children as well as  
the correlation between these parents' psychological distress and demographic factors. In all, 224 parents of  
children in Chamba with special needs participated. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was used to  
gauge the psychological distress of the parents. The findings showed that 21.9% of parents were in mild distress,  
21% were in moderate distress, and 36.6% were in severe distress. There was a significant positive correlation  
between the degree of psychological distress and the parent's employment status (r=0.148, N=224, p<0.05). There  
was no discernible relationship between the severity of psychological distress and the other factors, including  
parent age, parent gender, child age and diagnosis, parent marital status, and parent educational attainment. To  
sum up, the majority of parents were experiencing psychological distress. However, the only factor that had been  
shown to affect parents' psychological distress was their employment status.  
Keywords: Children With Special Needs, Disability, Parents, Psychological Distress, Job Status  
INTRODUCTION  
Despite the difficult stage of parenthood, having children with special needs made the role of parents more  
complex (Jambekar et al., 2018). Since they had to deal with a variety of shifting criteria related to their children's  
individual needs, parents of special needs frequently went beyond natural parenting (Isa et al., 2016). When  
parents learn that their children have a disability, they may experience conflicting emotions (Kruithof et al.,  
2020). Parents likely experienced increased psychological symptoms as a result of raising these children with  
particular conditions like autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other disorders. Parenting  
children with special needs may result in issues with family functioning, parenting distress, and varying parenting  
styles, as opposed to parenting children with normal development (Masulani-mwale et al., 2018).  
Children with disabilities may cause their parents to feel emotionally and socially burdened. Due to their  
increased fear of their own and their children's futures, they frequently suffered from a variety of negative  
emotions, including stress, anxiety, and depression, which may have an adverse effect on their health  
(CheethamBlake, Family, & Turner-Cobb, 2019). In addition, compared to parents of typical children, they were  
more likely to experience psychological distress. According to Fernández et al. (2020), psychological distress is  
a state of emotional suffering marked by symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to Ricci et al. (2017),  
children's high levels of internalizing and externalizing concerns have been linked to their high levels of stress.  
They may increase the risk of severe stress and, in certain cases, depression because the parents bear the majority  
of the growing daily care load for these children (Braun & Clarke, 2024). In order for the solutions, interventions,  
Page 3217  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
and approaches used in these contexts to assist and support the parents, it was imperative to assess the level of  
psychological distress among parents of children with special needs.  
LITERATURE REVIEW  
Children with Special Needs  
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) may be referred to as special needs children. According to  
Maridal et al. (2021), the term "NDD" was used to refer to a broad range of conditions, including Cerebral Palsy  
(CP), genetic disorders involving brain injuries, and other conditions that limited functional abilities like vision,  
hearing, speech, behavior, motor, and cognition problems. In order to improve their health, growth, learning,  
quality of life, engagement, and community inclusion, they needed more assistance and support from education,  
health, medical, and social-environmental services than other children (Jambekar et al., 2018). Because they were  
unable to use their physical, mental, and social abilities appropriately, they frequently failed to play, learn, and  
engage in activities appropriate for their age. According to Anaby et al. (2020), this disability in children should  
typically be assessed separately or in combination from developmental, cognitive, affective, and body functions  
and structures. Furthermore, they typically faced a number of challenges during their early years that persisted  
into adulthood, including serious medical conditions, troublesome behaviors, and diagnostic procedures that  
placed a strain on the parents (Downey, 2016).  
Particular requirements Children were viewed as a financial, social, psychological, and physical burden on the  
family. The balance of parents' lives was important because it would affect how their children developed. It may  
be challenging to balance your professional life with giving special needs children the attention they require  
(Bahryetal, 2019). Parents had to manage their many responsibilities with the limited resources at their disposal,  
which included juggling work and childcare responsibilities, including going to the hospital to pick up their kids.  
They began to feel guilty for not performing the role of ideal parents when they were unable to carry out their  
duties (Angieetal., 2017). Taking care of the children's food, hygiene, bathing, and therapeutic activities required  
parents to spend more time with them (Faramarzi, 2017). According to a prior study, parents needed to devote  
more time to helping their children eat, dress, walk, and engage in other activities (Rakotomanana et al., 2021).  
Financial  
For parents, raising children with special needs has grown more costly and challenging. Over time, the cost of  
food, specialized equipment, and pediatric medical care has increased (Bahry et al., 2019). Children's parents had  
to constantly seek medical care and other treatments, which could be expensive (Park & Kim, 2020). One of the  
parents would eventually become the primary caregiver for their children, which could lead to a reduction in  
their ability to work and, consequently, a decrease in their financial situation (Chen et al., 2020; Vonneilich et al.,  
2016). Parents of children with special needs work harder and even give up career opportunities to care for their  
children than parents of children who are typically developing. When a family's  
Several analyses in the study had found that financial concerns were a significant indicator that affected the stress  
and anxiety levels of parents of children with disabilities. The extra responsibilities for special needs children  
caused stress in addition to financial hardships, which raised parents' anxiety and depression levels. These factors  
were found to have an effect on marital relationships, personal adaptability, self-confidence, and self-esteem. The  
degree of anxiety was also impacted by financial limitations. People who cared for special needs children without  
being their parents and those exposed to negative social perceptions were found to have higher anxiety levels  
(Abdelfattah et al., 2021).  
Social Support  
A study found that social support was crucial for reducing parental stress and enhancing their capacity to cope  
with psychological problems. Even though positive parental attitudes toward raising special needs children were  
always linked to more social support, parents of special needs children were regrettably often excluded from  
public and societal concerns. Parents of children with special needs experienced psychological problems that  
Page 3218  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
were made worse by these risk factors (Chenetal., 2020). According to a study, parents' increasing distress in  
terms of feeling alone, frustrated, and stigmatized was influenced by their environment's lack of support (Leitch  
et al., 2019).  
Behaviour Issues  
Managing the emotional and behavioral problems of children with special needs, as well as the pressure to raise  
them, was a significant problem for parents (Chen et al., 2020). According to Park and Kim (2020), some children  
with special needs were likely to exhibit severe behavioral issues, which could worsen the psychological problem  
in the interim. Children with special needs exhibited more externalized behaviors than typical children, including  
poor social interactions, communication problems, and oppositional defiant disorder. When children with special  
needs, like autism, are unable to go outside or are not used to following new rules, they may display tantrums,  
frustration, and anxiety. They struggled to solve problems independently and communicate with their parents at  
the same time (Chenetal., 2020). According to the study, children's behavioral issues may foreshadow or change  
the affective quality of parent-child interactions. As a result, parents need to put in more work when interacting  
with their children (Seror, 2022). Parenting stress rises as a result of parents having to invest more time and  
money in their kids. Furthermore, parents were more likely to be decisive and controlling by using verbal or  
physical chastising when it was difficult to resolve persistent and limited behavioral issues. This could decrease  
bonding and increase parent-child dysfunction. Over time, it not only made the misbehaviors of the children  
worse, but it also made the mental health issues of the parents worse (Chen et al., 2020).  
Psychology Issues  
Depending on the type of disability, the severity of the disorder, and other factors, parents may have experienced  
different psychological problems. Prior studies on the psychological well-being of parents of special needs  
children revealed that these parents experienced higher levels of stress, fewer social connections, and a degree  
of depression than parents of typical children. To put it another way, these parents would endure high levels of  
stress and often become depressed, frustrated, and disappointed with their children's development due to the  
long-term problems of children with physical-motor disorders and mental retardation and the requirement for  
ongoing treatment (Faramarzi, 2017).  
According to Coutelle, Coulon, Schröder, and Putois (2023), parents of children with autism reported being  
significantly more depressed than parents of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD-NOS).  
According to Vasilopoulou and Nisbet (2016), they also reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression  
than parents of children with other developmental issues and typically developing children. In addition, Isa et al.  
(2016) reported that these parents had higher levels of stress, anxiety, social instability, depressing attitudes, and  
physical symptoms than parents of children with Down syndrome.  
Due to their children's symptoms, which include hyperactivity, inattention, and disruptive behavior, mothers of  
children with ADHD have also been found to exhibit depressive symptoms (Huhdanpää ET AL., 2021). Parents  
of children with ADHD frequently experienced negative emotions like despondency, judgment, grief, guilt,  
helplessness, anger, depression, and frustration (Leitch et al., 2019). According to a McRae et al. (2020) study,  
the externalizing and internalizing behaviors of children with ADHD caused significant psychological distress  
for their parents, as evidenced by elevated anxiety, depression, and distress levels. Parents had expressed low  
self-esteem, self-confidence, and personal adaptability as a result of this situation.  
According to a thorough analysis of the research on how providing care affects parents of children with cerebral  
palsy, parents of children with CP experience higher levels of stress, depression, and a lower quality of life than  
parents of typical children. It has been found that stress and depression are increased by children's behavior and  
cognitive challenges, as well as by inadequate self-efficacy of parenting techniques and support networks  
(Jambekar et al., 2018). It was more physically and mentally taxing to raise children with cerebral palsy who had  
mobility impairments. Mothers of children with cerebral palsy who had severe activity limitation were found to  
have higher levels of stress and depressed moods. They found it harder to handle parenting and their kids' issues  
as a result of this psychological condition. The varying feelings of self-worth brought on by the kids' struggles  
also had an impact on their self-esteem (Park & Kim, 2020). The prior study found that compared to children  
Page 3219  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
with other conditions, mothers of children with cerebral palsy experienced the highest levels of psychological  
distress and depression. This was because the majority of CP children required wheelchairs for mobility and  
transportation to school, and mothers were required to transport both their children and the wheelchairs to and  
from school. Additionally, a few of the kids needed to be fed. Because of this, parents had to stay at school in  
order to feed their kids (Ahmad Zam Zam et al., 2019).  
According to earlier studies, parents of children with special needs—such as those with intellectual disabilities  
(IDs), developmental delays, or physical and sensory impairments—were more likely than parents of typical  
children to display symptoms of psychological distress or depression and to have lower levels of wellbeing  
(Seror, 2022). The study found that social attitudes and judgments about disability, care and education needs, and  
uncertainty about the child's present and future status were important sources of stress and anxiety for parents.  
Compared to parents of children without special needs, parents of children with special needs experienced higher  
levels of stress and anxiety as well as lower levels of self-esteem, stigma, and marital harmony. It was essential  
for reducing the anxiety that could negatively affect parents' ability to control their emotions, behavior, and  
thoughts. Significant anxiety and social support-seeking scores were reported by parents who were upset about  
their kids' lack of community acceptance (Akturk & Aylaz, 2017). To put it briefly, the demands of caring for  
these children may lead to maternal depression and adverse outcomes from the parenting experience (Park &  
Kim, 2020). The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of psychological distress experienced by  
parents of special needs children as well as the correlation between these factors and the parents' demographic  
characteristics.  
METHODOLOGY  
Materials and Methods  
By administering an online survey, this study used a cross-sectional design and the quantitative research method.  
Purposive sampling, which is predicated on the assessment of the targeted respondent who may provide the most  
appropriate information to achieve these study objectives, served as the basis for the sample in this investigation.  
Two components made up the instrument used in this study. The first section dealt with the respondents'  
demographics, including the age and diagnosis of their children, the parents' gender and age, their marital status,  
their level of education, and their occupation. Section 2 consisted of The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale  
(K10) is a self-report questionnaire that asks about depression and anxiety symptoms (Pereira et al., 2019). This  
well-known and extremely helpful psychological symptom measure was praised for its high validity of factors  
and constructs, ease of administration, reliability, and high predictability. A 5-point Likert-type scale, with 1  
denoting never and 5 denoting always, was used to select the answers.  
A total score ranging from 10 to 50 was calculated by adding up all of the responses; higher scores denoted  
greater psychological distress (Easton et al., 2017). The validity analyses showed that the K10 had good  
psychometric properties, with a 95% CI of 0.84 (0.81, 0.96). According to the reliability analysis, the case group's  
alpha coefficient of Cronbach was 0.885, while the control group's was 0.837 (Tiong et al., 2018). Due to the  
Covid-19 outbreak, the survey was administered via Google Form and then disseminated virtually on social  
media to parents of special needs children in Chamba. To get the respondents' answers, an online link was made.  
Method of Data Collection  
Data collection took place between late February 2021 and July 2021. Ethical approval was given by the  
University Technology Mara's Research Ethics Committee (REC). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the  
questionnaire was distributed virtually via social media in order to gather participant data, as physical data  
collection was not possible. The demographic form and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) were  
included in the questionnaire, which was made with a Google form. Respondents who met the requirements for  
inclusion would voluntarily fill out the survey.  
Page 3220  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
Population and Sample Size  
Parents of children with special needs participated in this study. There were 950 special needs children in  
Chamba, according to the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (2020). The sample size was  
calculated using the Raosoft Sample Size Calculator Online Software. As shown in numerous health sciences  
studies, the study's margin error was set at 5% and its confidence level at 95%. A total of 274 representative  
samples were needed for generalization, given a population size of 950 and a response distribution of 50%.  
Participants  
The questionnaire was voluntarily filled out by the respondents who met the inclusion requirements. Out of the  
265 responses that were received, 224 were deemed valid. Participants had to be parents of children with special  
needs between the ages of 6 and 12 and their children had to be registered as Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in  
order to meet the prerequisite requirements. In order to complete the questionnaire, the parents must be able to  
read and comprehend English and live with their special needs children. In order to concentrate on the parents'  
psychological distress, non-parents or caregivers of children with special needs have been excluded.  
Data Analysis  
To assess the data collected for this study, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 26), which  
concentrated on descriptive and inferential statistics, was used. The degree of psychological distress among  
parents of children with special needs was determined using descriptive analysis. To find out how demographic  
factors and the level of psychological distress among parents of special needs children relate to one another,  
Spearman correlation was used.  
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION  
The respondents' demographic information was compiled in Table 1. There were 27 (12.1%) male responders  
and 97 (87.9%) female participants. There were four age ranges among the parents. 129 (57.6%) parents were  
between the ages of 30 and 39, indicating the highest frequency of respondents' age involved, while 7 (3.1%)  
parents were between the ages of 20 and 29. Then, 79 (35.3%) of the parents were between the ages of 40 and  
49, and 9 (4.0%) were older than 50. A majority of the parents had high levels of education: 154 (68.8%) were  
completing their tertiary education, 49 (21.9%) had completed their primary education and 21 (9.4%) had  
completed their secondary education. Additionally, the results showed that 15 (6.7%) parents had already retired  
and 151 (67.4%) parents were still employed. An additional 58 parents, or 25.9%, did not have a job.  
Ninety (40.2%) of the children's parents in this study had the highest diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder  
(ASD), followed by forty-three (19.2%) with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, thirty-three (14.7%) with  
Cerebral Palsy, thirty (13.4%) with Learning Disabilities, thirteen (5.8%) with multiple disabilities, and fifteen  
(6.7%) with other different types of disabilities. The largest age of the respondents' children was indicated by the  
68 (30.4%) children who were 6 years old. In contrast, 12 (5.4%) of the respondents' children were 11 years old,  
which was the least common age group  
Table 1: Demographic Data of the Respondents.  
Frequency (N)  
Percent (%)  
Demographic variable  
Parent's Age  
20-29 years old  
30– 39 years old  
40– 49 years old  
7
3.1  
129  
79  
57.6  
35.3  
Page 3221  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
50years old and above  
9
4.0  
Parent’s Gender  
Male  
27  
97  
12.1  
87.9  
Female  
Child’s Diagnosis Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder  
(ADHD)  
43  
90  
33  
30  
13  
15  
19.2  
40.2  
14.7  
13.4  
5.8  
Autism Spectrum Disorder Cerebral Palsy  
Learning Disabilities Multiple Disabilities Other disability  
6.7  
Child’s Age  
6
Years old  
years old  
years old  
years old  
years old  
years old  
years old  
68  
30  
31  
28  
13  
12  
48  
30.4  
13.4  
13.8  
12.5  
5.8  
7
8
9
10  
11  
12  
5.4  
18.8  
Parent’s Education  
Primary  
49  
21.9  
9.4  
Secondary  
21  
Tertiary  
154  
68.8  
Marital status  
Married  
209  
14  
1
93.3  
6.3  
Divorced  
Widowed  
0.4  
Occupation Status  
Employed  
151  
58  
67.4  
25.9  
6.7  
Unemployed  
Retired  
15  
Page 3222  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
The K (10) questionnaire's results showed that the majority of respondents felt that everything they did required  
effort. Item 8, "About how often did you feel that everything is an effort?" had the highest mean score of any  
item (M= 3.16, SD = 1.019). Item 3, "About how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you  
down?" had the lowest mean score (M = 2.25, SD = 0.958). It showed that the majority of respondents  
experienced the least amount of anxiety, with nothing being able to soothe them. The mean and standard deviation  
for each question on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) were clearly displayed in Table 2 below.  
Table 2: A Mean and Standard Deviation of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)  
No. Items  
Mean Std. Deviation  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  
6.  
7.  
8.  
9.  
How often did you feel tired out for no good reason?  
3.03  
2.67  
2.25  
2.64  
2.69  
2.37  
2.68  
3.16  
2.45  
2.43  
0.862  
0.907  
0.958  
1.070  
0.975  
1.007  
1.118  
1.019  
1.001  
1.106  
How often did you Feel nervous?  
How often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?  
How often did you Feel hopeless?  
How often did you Feel restless or fidgety?  
How often did you feel so restless, you could not sit still?  
How often did you Feel depressed?  
How often did you feel that everything is an effort  
How often did you feel so sad that nothing Could cheer you up?  
10. How often did you worthless?  
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) scoring criteria state that mild distress is represented by a score  
of 20–24, moderate distress by a score of 25–29, and severe distress by a score of 30–50. The majority of parents  
in this study were experiencing severe psychological distress, as evidenced by the 82 (36.6%) parents who  
reported having severe distress. In contrast, 46 parents (20.5%) had the lowest level of psychological distress and  
were therefore probably in good health. In terms of psychological distress, moderate distress was rated as the  
second-highest severity, with 47 (21.10%) parents reporting moderate distress and another 49 (21.9%) parents  
reporting mild distress. The level of psychological distress among parents of special needs children was shown  
in Table 3.  
Table 3: The Frequency of Severity of Psychological Distress Among Parents Of Children With Special  
Needs  
Severity  
Frequency (N)  
Percent (%)  
20.5  
Likely to be well  
Mild Distress  
Moderate distress  
Severe distress  
Total  
46  
49  
47  
82  
224  
21.9  
21.0  
36.6  
100  
Page 3223  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
Since the Shapiro-Walk showed that the p-value for the parents' demographic data was 0.00 (p>0.05) and the  
pvalue for the parents' psychological distress was 0.041 (p>0.05), indicating that the data was not normally  
distributed, Spearman correlation coefficient analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between the  
demographic data coefficient and the degree of psychological distress among parents of children with special  
needs.  
The study's findings showed a positive correlation between the degree of psychological distress and both marital  
status (r=0.23, p<0.05) and employment status (r=0.188, p<0.05). These psychological distress levels among  
parents of children with special needs were found to be negatively correlated with the following other variables:  
parent's age (r=-0.084, p<0.05), gender (r=-0.089, p<0.05), children's age (r=-0.045, p<0.05), children's diagnosis  
(r=-0.127, p<0.05), and parent's educational attainment (r=-0.100, p<0.05). Overall, only one correlation—  
between the degree of psychological distress and the parent's employment status (r=0.148, N=224, p<0.05)—  
was found to be statistically significant, with significant values of p<0.026. As a result, the degree of the parents'  
psychological distress was significantly positively correlated with their employment status. The relationship  
between the demographic information and the degree of psychological distress experienced by parents of children  
with special needs was shown in Table 4.  
Table 4: Spearman Correlation Results Between Severity of Psychological Distress and Demographic Data  
of Parents of Children with Special Needs.  
*Correlations are significant at the p<.05 level  
Psychological Distress among Parents of Children with Special Needs  
According to this study, 79.5% of parents of children with special needs reported experiencing psychological  
distress. Significant psychological distress that could be concerning for their mental health was experienced by  
36.6% of parents. Emotional suffering that can manifest as anxiety or depression was defined as psychological  
distress. A study that looked at the prevalence of psychological distress in parents of children with intellectual  
Page 3224  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
disabilities found that 41% of them were experiencing high levels of psychological distress. This study's high  
prevalence rate demonstrated the severity of psychological distress that had not been treated before  
(Masulanimwale et al., 2018).  
The results of this study were consistent with those of a prior study that found that mothers and fathers of children  
with developmental disabilities were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of depression or another  
psychological condition (Marquisetal, 2020). Although the risk may not be as high as in other studies, one study  
found that parents of special needs children were at high risk for depression (Scherer, Verhey & Kuper, 2019).  
According to a different study, parents of children with mental health and developmental disabilities have been  
shown to have lower psychological well-being and higher levels of depression, which includes symptoms of  
stress, sadness, and anxiety.  
According to Leitch et al. (2019), it was also found that parents of children with developmental disabilities and  
ADHD reported higher levels of distress than parents of children with HIV, asthma, or healthy children.  
According to the findings of a study conducted on parents of children with ADHD, 63% of the parents reported  
having depressive symptoms, indicating that the difficulties of raising the children caused the parents to  
experience severe psychological distress. In addition, parents of children with ADHD and related comorbidities  
found it extremely challenging to manage these kids, which ultimately led to their distress (Cheetham-Blake,  
Family & Turner-Cobb, 2019). According to Leitch et al. (2019), 64% of children with ADHD had at least one  
comorbidity that could affect their parents' distress.  
According to another study, these parents experienced severe psychological distress as a result of their kids'  
actions and difficulties carrying out everyday tasks. According to research, parents of autistic children were more  
likely to experience major mood disorders throughout their lives (Ahmad Zam Zam et al., 2019). A prior study  
found that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder often experienced symptoms of stress, anxiety, and  
depression. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder who had similar demographic backgrounds— aside  
from academic achievement—were more likely to experience this type of stress, which was assessed using the  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire (Al-Farsi et al., 2016). Al-Farsi et al., (2016) state that  
the most common psychological distress was previously believed to be depression symptoms or a depressed  
mood. These results demonstrated that institutions should closely monitor the mental health needs of parents,  
especially the prevention of depressive disorders and the provision of support and assistance to parents  
experiencing distress.  
CONCLUSION  
This study found that the majority of parents of children with special needs were generally in psychological  
distress. Because having children with special needs increased the financial burden, occupation status was the  
most important factor influencing this psychological distress. Therefore, the study came to the conclusion that  
the degree of the parent's psychological distress was unaffected by any other factors besides their employment  
status.  
REFERENCES  
1. Abdelfattah, F., Rababah, A., Alqaryouti, I., Alsartawi, Z., Khlaifat, D., & Awamleh, A. (2021). Exploring  
feelings of worry and sources of stress during COVID-19 pandemic among parents of children with  
disability: A sample from Arab countries. Education Sciences, 11(5), 216.  
2. Ahmad Zam Zam, S. Z., Wahab, S., & Abd Rahman, F. N. (2019). Depression, anxiety, psychological  
distress and quality of life among mothers of Klang’s disabled children. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry,  
20(2).  
3. Akturk, U., &Aylaz, R. (2017). An evaluation of anxiety in parents with disabled children and their coping  
strategies. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(1), 342–353. Retrieved from  
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cin20&AN=123010465&site=ehost-live  
Page 3225  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
4. Al-Farsi, O. A., Al-Farsi, Y. M., Al-Sharbati, M. M., & Al-Adawi, S. (2016). Stress, anxiety, and  
depression among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Oman: A case–control study.  
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 12, 1943.  
5. Angie, S., Fikry, A., Ismail, Z., & Hussein, N. (2017). Work-family conflict among working parents of  
children with autism in Malaysia. Procedia Computer Science, 105,  
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.01.232  
345–352.  
6. Anaby, D., Avery, L., Gorter, J. W., Levin, M. F., Teplicky, R., Turner, L., & Hanes, J. (2020). Improving  
body functions through participation in community activities among young people with physical  
disabilities. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 62(5), 640–646.  
7. Bahry, N. S., Mat, A., Kori, N. L., Ali, A. M., Munir, Z. A., & Salleh, M. Z. M. (2019). Challenges faced  
by Malaysian parents in caregiving of a child with disabilities. GATR Global Journal of Business Social  
Sciences Review, 7(2), 118–124. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2019.7.2(2)  
8. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2024). Thematic analysis. In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being  
Research (pp. 7187–7193). Cham: Springer International Publishing.  
9. Cheetham‐Blake, T. J., Family, H. E., & Turner‐Cobb, J. M. (2019). ‘Every day I worry about something’:  
A qualitative exploration of children’s experiences of stress and coping. British Journal of Health  
Psychology, 24(4), 931–952.  
10. Coutelle, R., Coulon, N., Schröder, C. M., & Putois, O. (2023). Investigating the borders of autism  
spectrum disorder: Lessons from the former diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise  
specified. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1149580.  
11. Chen, S. Q., Chen, S. D., Li, X. K., & Ren, J. (2020). Mental health of parents of special needs children  
in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public  
Health, 17(24), 9519. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249519  
12. Downey, T. N. (2016). Children with special needs and the effect on the family.  
13. Drapeau, A., Marchand, A., & Beaulieu-Prevost, D. (2012). Epidemiology of psychological distress. In  
Mental Illnesses—Understanding, Prediction and Control. https://doi.org/10.5772/30872  
14. Easton, S. D., Safadi, N. S., Wang, Y., & Hagen, R. G. (2017). The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale:  
Translation and validation of an Arabic version. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-017-0783-9  
15. Faramarzi, S. (2017). Comparing the quality of life and psychological well-being in mothers of children  
with hearing loss and mothers of children with other special needs. Auditory and Vestibular Research,  
26(2), 86–92.  
16. Fernández, R. S., Crivelli, L., Guimet, N. M., Allegri, R. F., & Pedreira, M. E. (2020). Psychological  
distress associated with COVID-19 quarantine: Latent profile analysis, outcome prediction and mediation  
analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 75–84.  
17. Huhdanpää, H., Morales-Muñoz, I., Aronen, E. T., Pölkki, P., Saarenpää-Heikkilä, O., Kylliäinen, A., &  
Paavonen, E. J. (2021). Prenatal and postnatal predictive factors for children’s inattentive and hyperactive  
symptoms at 5 years of age. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 52, 783–799.  
18. Id, N. S., Verhey, I., & Kuper, H. (2019). Depression and anxiety in parents of children with intellectual  
and  
developmental  
disabilities:  
A
systematic  
review  
and  
meta-analysis.  
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219888  
19. Isa, S. N. I., Ishak, I., Ab Rahman, A., Mohd Saat, N. Z., Che Din, N., Lubis, S. H., & Mohd Ismail, M.  
F. (2016). Health and quality of life among caregivers of children with disabilities: A review of literature.  
Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 23, 71–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2016.07.007  
20. Jambekar, A., Padhyegurjar, M., Padhyegurjar, S., Joshi, S., & Shahri, P. (2018). Impact of having a child  
with special needs on the psychosocial well-being of the parents: A cross-sectional study. Journal of  
Mental Health and Human Behaviour, 23(2), 115. https://doi.org/10.4103/jmhhb.jmhhb_24_18  
21. Kruithof, K., Willems, D., van Etten‐Jamaludin, F., & Olsman, E. (2020). Parents' knowledge of their  
child with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: An interpretative synthesis. Journal of Applied  
Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(6), 1141–1150.  
22. Leitch, S., Sciberras, E., Post, B., Gerner, B., Rinehart, N., Nicholson, J. M., & Evans, S. (2019).  
Experience of stress in parents of children with ADHD: A qualitative study. International Journal of  
Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1690091  
23. Maridal, H. K., Bjørgaas, H. M., Hagen, K., Jonsbu, E., Mahat, P., Malakar, S., & Dørheim, S. (2021).  
Psychological distress among caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in Nepal.  
Page 3226  
www.rsisinternational.org  
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)  
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue XI November 2025  
24. Marquis, S. M., McGrail, K., & Hayes, M. (2020). Mental health of parents of children with a  
developmental disability in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health,  
74(2), 173–178.  
25. Masulani-Mwale, C., Kauye, F., Gladstone, M., & Mathanga, D. (2018). Prevalence of psychological  
distress among parents of children with intellectual disabilities in Malawi.  
26. McRae, E., Stoppelbein, L., O’Kelley, S., Fite, P., & Smith, S. (2020). Comorbid internalizing and  
externalizing symptoms among children with ADHD: The influence of parental distress, parenting  
practices, and child routines. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 51, 813–826.  
27. Park, E., & Kim, J. (2020). Activity limitation in children with cerebral palsy and parenting stress,  
depression, and self-esteem: A structural equation model. Pediatrics International, 459–466.  
https://doi.org/10.1111/ped.14177  
28. Pereira, A., Oliveira, C. A., Bártolo, A., Monteiro, S., Vagos, P., & Jardim, J. (2019). Reliability and factor  
structure of the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) among Portuguese adults. Ciencia e  
Saude Coletiva, 24(3), 729–736. https://doi.org/10.1590/141381232018243.06322017  
29. Rakotomanana, H., Walters, C. N., Komakech, J. J., Hildebrand, D., Gates, G. E., Thomas, D. G., &  
Stoecker, B. J. (2021). Fathers’ involvement in child care activities: Qualitative findings from the  
highlands of Madagascar. PLoS One, 16(3), e0247112.  
30. Ren, J., Li, X., Chen, S., Chen, S., & Nie, Y. (2020). The influence of parenting stress and social support  
on anxiety in parents of special needs children during the COVID-19 epidemic. Frontiers in Psychology,  
11, 565393.  
31. Seror, A. (2022). Child development in parent-child interactions. Journal of Political Economy, 130(9),  
2462–2499.  
32. Scherer, N., Verhey, I., & Kuper, H. (2019). Depression and anxiety in parents of children with intellectual  
and developmental disabilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS One, 14(7), e0219888.  
33. Ricci, F., Levi, C., Nardecchia, E., Antonella, A., Andrea, P., & Salvatore, G. (2017). Psychological  
aspects in parents of children with disability and behavior problems. European Psychiatry, 41(S1), S792.  
34. Tiong, X. T., Sara, N., Abdullah, S., Bujang, M. A., & Ellisya, F. (2018). Validation of Kessler’s  
Psychological Distress Scale (K10 & K6) in a Malaysian population. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 19(1).  
35. Vonneilich, N., Lüdecke, D., & Kofahl, C. (2016). The impact of care on family and health-related quality  
of life of parents with chronically ill and disabled children. Disability and Rehabilitation, 38(8), 761–767.  
https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2015.1060267  
36. Yamaoka, Y., Tamiya, N., Izumida, N., Kawamura, A., Takahashi, H., & Noguchi, H. (2016). The  
relationship between raising a child with a disability and the mental health of mothers compared to raising  
a child without disability in Japan. SSM – Population Health, 2, 542–548.  
Page 3227  
www.rsisinternational.org