Single Mothers with Handicapped Children: Different from Their Married Counterparts?

Research on single parents and on parents of handicapped children indicates that these groups experience extraordinary stress. The authors suggest that single and married parents of handicapped children have different available resources and therefore will appraise their circumstances differently. Questionnaires measuring parents' stress, life satisfaction, and perception of the child were administered to 33 single and 48 married mothers of handicapped children. No differences between these groups were found on total scores or on subscale scores. Differences between single and married mothers were found on 24 of 135 items. Most of the significant items related to family life in general rather than rearing a handicapped child. Findings are discussed in terms of social and economic supports, child rearing contributions of fathers, and implications for intervention.