A Professional Support Program for Families of Handicapped Preschoolers: Decrease in Maternal Stress.

This study investigated the effect of long-term professional social agency support on the level of stress perceived by mothers (N=65) of preschoolers with disabilities. Mothers completed the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS-F) and the Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale. The hypothesis that stress is greater for mothers of children with a severe rather than mild disability was supported. Mothers caring for an infant under 2 years of age reported more stress than the mothers of preschool-aged children. Sex of child was not related to maternal stress. Married mothers reported higher stress than single parents. Maternal stress was modified by program support regardless of high or low socioeconomic status (SES), welfare recipient status, or extent of personal support network. Responses on the QRS-F revealed that mothers did not tend to see the child as the cause of family problems or as a burden. Single, low-SES mothers seemed to profit especially from sustained professional supports from the time of the infant's birth. Tables detailing the study's findings are attached. (Contains 14 references.) (DB)