Chapter I

Introduction
A STUDY ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS AND COPING
STRATEGIES

OF PARENTS OF MENTALLY CHALLENGED CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION

Mental retardation is not disease but a condition in which the intellectual

faculties are never manifested of have never been developed sufficiently to
enable the retarded person to acquire such an amount of knowledge as
person of his own age and placed in similar circumstances with him are
capable of receiving.

A term used when a person has certain limitations is mental functions and
in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or her and social skills is
called mentally challenged. These limitations will cause a child to learn and
develop slower than a typical child.

In the past, parents were usually hesitant to institutionalize a child with

significant mentally retarded. This is not done anymore. The goal now is for
the child with mentally retarded to stay in the family and take part in the
community life. In most states, the law guarantees them educational and
other service at public expense.

MENTAL RETARDATION IS DEFINEDAS

1. Significantly sub average general intellectual functions (i.e., 2 standard

deviation below the mean) I Q below 70.
2. Significant deficit or impairment in adaptive functioning (i.e., persons ability
to meet the responsibilities of social personal, interpersonal and occupational
areas of life according to his age and social cultural and educational
background.)
3. Which manifests during the period of development (before 18 years of age)
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of intellectual disability are all behavioural. Most
people with intellectual disability do not look like they are afflicted with such,
especially if the disability is caused by environmental factors such as
malnutrition or lead poisoning. The so-called typical appearance ascribed to
people with intellectual disability is only present in a minority of cases, all of
which are syndromic.

Children with intellectual disability may learn to sit up, to crawl, or to walk
later than other children, or they may learn to talk later. Both adults and
children with intellectual disability may also exhibit some or all of the
following characteristics:

Delays in oral language development

Deficits in memory skills
Difficulty learning social rules
Difficulty with problem solving skills
Delays in the development of adaptive behaviours such as self-help or self-
care skills
Lack of social inhibitors

Children with intellectual disability learn more slowly than a typical child.
Children may take longer to learn language, develop social skills, and take
care of their personal needs, such as dressing or eating. Learning will take
them longer, require more repetition, and skills may need to be adapted to
their learning levels. Nevertheless, virtually every child is able to learn,
develop and become a participating member of the community.

In early childhood, mild intellectual disability (IQ 50-69) may not be obvious,
and may not be identified, until children being school. Even when poor
academic performance is recognized, it may take expert assessment to
distinguish mild intellectual disability from learning disability or
emotional/behavioural disorders. People with mild intellectual disability are
 capable of learning reading and mathematics skills to approximately the level
of a typical child aged nine to twelve. They can learn self-care and practical
skills, such as cooking or using the local mass transit system. As individuals
with intellectual

disability reach adulthood, many learn to live independently and maintain

gainful employment.

Moderate intellectual disability (IQ 35-49) is nearly always apparent within

the first years of life. Speech delays are particularly common signs of
moderate MR. People with moderate intellectual disability need considerable
supports in school, at home, and in the community in order to participate
fully. While their academic potential is limited, they can learn simple health
and safety skills and to participate in simple activities. As adults they may
live with significant supportive services to help them, for example, manage
their finances. As adults, they work in a sheltered workshop.

People with severe or profound intellectual disability need more intensive

support and supervision their entire lives. They may learn some activities of
daily living. Some require full-time care by an attendant.

DEVELOPMENTAL PERIODS:

1. Infancy and early childhood (0-6 years)

This is pre-school period. In this age group, person with mental retardation
may have problems in

Standing, walking, running, squatting.

Picking up small objects using fingers, example stringing beads.

Eating.

Dressing.
 Grooming.

Eliminating and cleaning toileting.

Communicating.

Interacting with people.

2. Childhood and early adolescence (06-12 years)

In this age group persons with mental retardation may have difficulties in
domains of:

Functional academic, in the areas of reading, numbers, writing, time

money and measurement, where skills of a higher level of cognition
is needed for their expected level of performance.
Skills required in the performance of daily living talks. (Self-help,
Socialization, motor, language, cognition skills)

3. Adolescence and adulthood (12-18 years)

This is high school period. In this age group person with mental retardation
may have problem in-

Performing domestic activities

Using community services, such as

 Hospital

Post office

Public transport

Parks

Telephone etc.

Involving themselves in recreational activities games, clubs

Learning vocational skills

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN WITH MENTAL

RETARDATION
Mental retardation means substantial limitations in age-appropriate
intellectual and adaptive behaviour. It is seldom a time-limited condition.
Although many individuals with mental retardation make tremendous
advancements in adaptive skills(some to the point of functioning
independently and no longer being considered under any disability
category),most are affected throughout their life span(Hawkins, Eklund,
James & Foose,2003)

Many children with mild retardation are not identified until they enter school
and sometimes not until the second or third grade, when more difficult
academic work is required. Most students with mild mental retardation
master academic skills up to about the sixth-grade level and are able to learn
job skills well enough to support themselves independently or semi-
independently. Some adults who have been identified with mild mental
retardation develop excellent social and communication skills and once they
leave school are no longer recognized as having a disability.
 Children with moderate retardation show significant delays in development
during their preschool years. As they grow older, discrepancies in overall
intellectual development and adaptive functioning generally grow wider
between these children and age mates without disabilities. People with
moderate mental retardation are more likely to have health and behaviour
problems than are individuals with mild retardation.

Individuals with severe and profound mental retardation are almost always
identified at birth or shortly afterward. Most of these infants have significant
central nervous system damage, and many have additional disabilities and/or
health conditions. Although IQ scores can serve as the basis for
differentiating severe and profound retardation from one another, the
difference is primarily one of functional impairment.

Cognitive Functioning
Deficits in cognitive functioning and learning styles characteristic of
individuals with mental retardation include poor memory, slow learning rates,
attention problems, difficulty generalizing what they have learned, and lack
of motivation.

Memory. Students with mental retardation have difficulty remembering

information. As would be expected, the more severe the cognitive
impairment, the greater the deficits in memory. In particular, research has
found that students with retardation have trouble retaining information in
short-term memory(Bray, Fletcher, & Tuner, 1997).Short-term memory, or
working memory, is the ability to recall and use information that was
encountered just a few seconds to a couple of hours earlier-for example,
remembering a specific sequence of job tasks an employer stated just a few
minutes earlier. Merrill (1990) reports that students with mental retardation
require more time than their nondisabled peers to automatically recall
information and therefore have more difficulty handling larger amounts of
cognitive information at one time. Early researchers suggested that once
persons with mental retardation learned a specific item of information
sufficiently to commit it to long-term memoryinformation recalled after a
period of days or weeksthey retained that information about as well as
persons without retardation (Belmont, 1996; Ellis, 1963).
 More recent research on mental abilities of persons with mental
retardation has focused on teaching metacognitive or executive control
strategies, such as rehearsing and organizing information into related sets,
which many children without disabilities learn to do naturally
(Bebko&Luhaorg, 1998). Students with mental retardation do not tend touse
such strategies spontaneously but can be taught to do so with improved
performance

on memory-related and problem-solving tasks as an outcome of such strategy

instruction (Hughes & Rusch, 1989; Merrill, 1990).

Learning Rate: The rate at which individuals with mental retardation acquire
new knowledge and skills is well below that of typically developing children. A
frequently used measure of learning rate is trials to criterionthe number of
practice or instructional trials needed before a student can respond correctly
without prompts or assistance. For example, while just 2 or 3 trials with
feedback may be required for a typically developing child to learn to
discriminate between two geometric forms, a child with mental retardation
may need 20 to 30 or more trials to learn the same discrimination.

Because students with mental retardation learn more slowly, some

educators have assumed that instruction should be slowed down to match
their lower rate of learning. Research has shown, however, that students with
mental retardation benefit from opportunities to learn to go fast (Miller,
Hall, &Heward, 1995).

Attention. The ability to attend to critical features of a task (e.g., to the

outline of geometric shapes instead of dimensions such as their color or
position on the page) is a characteristic of efficient learners. Students with
mental retardation often have trouble attending to relevant features of a
learning task and instead may focus on interacting irrelevant stimuli. In
addition, individuals with mental retardation often have difficulty sustaining
attention to learning tasks (Zeaman& House, 1979). These attention
problems compound and contribute to a students difficulties in acquiring,
remembering, and generalizing new knowledge and skills.

Effective instructional design for students with mental retardation must

systematically control for the presence and saliency of critical stimulus
dimensions as well as the presence and effects of distracting stimuli. After
initially directing a students attention to the most relevant feature of a
simplified task and reinforcing correct responses, the complexity and
difficulty of the task can gradually be increased. A students selective and
sustained attention to relevant stimuli will improve as he experiences success
for doing so.

Generalization of Learning. Students with disabilities, especially those

with mental retardation, often have trouble using their new knowledge and
skills in settings or situations that differ from the context in which they first
learned those skills. Such transfer or generalization of learning occurs without
explicit programming for many children without disabilities but may be
evident in students with mental retardation without specific programming to
facilitate it. Researchers and educators are no longer satisfied by
demonstrations that individuals with mental retardation can initially acquire
new knowledge or skills. One of the most important and challenging areas of
contemporary research in special education is the search for strategies and
tactics for promoting the generalization and maintenance of learning by
individuals with mental retardation. Some of the findings of that research are
described later in this chapter and throughout this text.

Motivation. Some students with mental retardation exhibit an apparent lack

of interest in learning or problem-solving tasks (Switzky, 1997). Some
individuals with mental retardation develop learned helplessness, a condition
in which a person who hasexperienced repeated failure comes to expect
failure regardless of his or her efforts. In an attempt to minimize or offset
failure, the person may set extremely low expectations for himself and not
appear to try very hard. When faced with a difficult task or problem, some
 individuals with mental retardation may quickly give up and turn to or wait for
others to help them. Some acquire a problem-solving approach called outer-
directedness, in which they seem to distrust their own responses to situations
and rely on others for assistance and solutions.

Rather than an inherent characteristic of mental retardation, the apparent

lack of motivation may be the product of frequent failure and prompt
dependency acquired as the result of other peoples doing things for them.
After successful experiences, individuals with mental retardation do not differ
from persons without mental retardation on measures of outer-determination
skills to students with mental retardation is critical in helping them to become
self-reliant problem solves who act upon their world rather than passively
wait to be acted upon (Wehmeyer, Martin, & Sands, 1998).

CAUSES OF MENTAL RETARDATION

Mental retardation may be caused by the following factors

Biological, both in the internal environment womb and in the external

environment
Psychological

BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

Chromosomal abnormalities

This type of abnormality may be due to:

An extra chromosome (Trisomy) a child with Downs syndrome

 Has an extra chromosome in the 21st pair.

An extra chromosome (monosomy) a female child with turners

syndrome

Deletion and duplication, a part of the chromosome is missing

(deletion): a part is duplicated (duplication) this condition is an
extremely one.

Translocation as in Downs syndrome. Where one of the pair in the 21 st

chromosome attaches itself to another chromosome.

Mosaic, where some cells have the normal number of chromosomes

and the other cells have an extra chromosome in the 21 st pair. This also results in
the magnification of mosaic type of Downs syndrome.

Genetic abnormality

Inherited order: They are as follows: Dominant inheritance,

when one of the parents is affected and each child bears a fifty percent
chance of inheriting the disorder.

The affected child, through parenthood may then transfer the trait to
his offspring and successive generation will be inheriting it. Example of such
as inherited disorder is tuberous sclerosis.

Polygenic inheritance, refers to some disorders which are seen many

members of the family, with chances of the offspring being affected, as in
congenial heart diseases. Recessive inheritance, when neither of the parents
 is affected but both are carries of an abnormal gene, and the risk is 25% for
each offspring, as in the condition called phenyleketunuria.

PRENATAL CAUSES:

Infections (rubeela, cytomegalovirus. Syphils, toxoplasmosis)

Physical damage (Injury, hypoxia, radiation)
Intoxications (lead, certain drugs)
Placental dysfunction (Toxemia, nutritional growth retardation)
Endocrine disorders (Hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism)
Birth asphyxia
Prolonged or difficult birth
Prematurity (complications or excessive oxygen)

Kernicterns
Instrumental delivery (head injury, intraventrialar haemorrhage)

POSTNATAL CAUSES
Injury (accidents, child abuse)
Infections (encephalitis, meningitis)
Intoxication (lead)

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

The effect of psychological factors is not clear, but the following factors may
lead to mental retardation in child. They are
 Unfavourable institutional environment
Unfavourablehome environment with very poor or bad stimulation
Mal-adjusted family environment
Parents with retardation (child gets a poor model) and
Total isolation from interventions in family, community or society

TYPES OF MENTAL RETARDATION

(i) Mild Mental Retardation (I.Q TO 70)

This constitutes about 85% of total mentally retarded. Usually their

appearance is unremarkable and any motor or sensory deficits are slight.
Most people in this group develop more or less normal language abilities and
social behaviours during this group develop more or less normal languages
abilities and social behaviours during the preschool years and their mental
retardation may not be detected until the start of schooling. In about life,
most of them can live independently in ordinary surroundings;

through they may need help when under some unusual stress. They can
achieve academic level up to 6 -8th standard and usually belong to low socio
economic class

(ii)Moderate Mental Retardation (I.Q to 49)

People in this group account for about 12% of the mentally retarded.
Most of the, can talk or at least learn to communicate, and most can learn to
care for themselves albeit with some supervision. As adults, they can usually
undertake similar routine work. They are trainable (in self-care) but
uneducable.

(iii)Severe Mental Retardation (I.Q 20 to 34)

People with severe mental retardation account for about 7% of the
mentally retarded. In the preschool years, their development is usually
greatly slowed. Eventually many of them can be trained to look after
 themselves under close supervision and to communicate in a simple way. As
adults they can undertake simple tasks and engage in limited activities.

(iv)Profound Mental Retardation (I.Q below 20)

Less than 1% of mentally retarded, only few of them learn to care for them
completely, some eventually achieve some simple speech and social
behaviour.

General Achievements of Persons with Mental Retardation

Pre-school phase

(0-5 years old)

School age phase

(6-15 years old)

Adolescence and adulthood

(16 years old or above)

Mild MR
Overall development is slower than peers.
Development problems may not be easily identified until the child starts
primary school.
Can master basic learning skills (e.g. writing, reading and numeracy skills)
Can acquire proper pre-vocational skills.
Can integrate into community with assistance.
With assistance, can we employed in simple work, and lead a social life in
community.

Moderate MR
Over all development is obliviously slower than peers
Can acquire basic communication skills and simple self -care abilities
Can learn some practical skills for daily living
Can live independently to a certain extent in familiar environment and with
proper support
 Can learn perform simple tasks in specially working environment

Severe / Profound MR
Significant discrepancy in overall development when compared with peers
Some children may also have physical disabilities
Limited communication abilities and response to the environment
Delayed development in motor abilities
Can learn limited communication skills and simple self-care tasks
Possess simple communication skills
Can master limited basic self-care skills with special support

How Can Parents Help Their Child with Mental Retardation

Arrange early assessment for the child so as to understand and accept
his/her developmental problems

Involve in the childs training so as to master the training methods and

communicate with the instructors
Join parent self-help groups and make good use of community resources
Share feelings with others to relieve negative emotion and stress

Where Can Parents Seek Help If Their Child Is Suspected To Have

Mental Retardation

During school age:

Maternal and Child Health Centers / Paediatric departments of Hospital / Private
Practitioners
Child A Assessments Centers
Education Bureau
Medical service
Occupational therapy
Physiotherapy
Speech therapy
Educational Bureau
 Special schools
Services for children in mainstream schools
Support services in schools
Outreach support of Special Education Services

TREATMENT

No satisfactory treatment available till today. No drugs are available to

increaseThe level of intelligence. Most of the mentally retarded children
brought for treatment can only be benefited only to a limited extent.
Management of mentally retarded patients is directed at the following levels.

i) Primary Prevention

(a)Health promotion

Health promotion is directed at

Good antenatal care and encouraging deliveries in hospitals under proper

supervision and care.
Improving the socio economic status of the country.
Education of the public to help in early detection of mental retardation and
also, to remove misconceptions about it causes and treatment.
Facilitating research to identify the causes, and to invent new method of
treatment.

(b) Specific Protection

Good prenatal, natal and postnatal care to the pregnant mothers at risk.
Genetic counselling to at risk patients: in phenylketomia.
Avoiding child birth in late age of the mother (E.g. To prevent downs
syndrome.
Avoiding consangunial marriages in cause the hereditary factor is operative.

Avoiding marriages of mentally retarded where string inheritable factors are

operating e.g. tuberous sclerosis.
 Vaccination of girls with rubella vaccine to prevent teratogenicity in fetus due
to rubella.
Avoid giving pertussis vaccine to children with history of convulsions or
neurological abnormalities.

ii) Tertiary Prevention

(a)Disability Limitation

Treatment of physical and psychological (by drugs behaviour modification)

Institutionalization of severe mentally retarded or those with Psychological
problems.
Education and training to avoid handicaps.
Physiotherapy treat the associated deficits.

(b)Rehabilitation

This is the cornerstone of management of mentally retarded children.

It depends on the patients level of intelligence and his aptitude. These patients
need warmth, love, appreciation and discipline. Rehabilitation is aimed at
physical, social and occupational areas. Day care center and schools,
integrated schools, vocational training centers, sheltered forms and
workshops are useful.

ii) Secondary Prevention (Early diagnosis and treatment)

 Early detection and treatment of the preventable disorders (metabolic,
endocrinal and nutritional disorders)
Amniocentesis and medical termination of pregnancy on medical grounds.
Early detection of correctable disorders of nutritional deficiencies
(replacement) infections (antibiotics) hydrocephalus and skull configuration
disorders (surgery) or situations (under stimulation) and their treatment.

Early detection of physical handicaps (sensory and motor) and Psychological

handicaps (e.g. Epilepsy, behavioural disorders) and early intervention.
Prevent them against abuse e.g.(physical or sexual abuse) by legal or by
medical measures (e.g. Tubectomy of severely retarded girls)

Counselling to Parents

Parents should be explained about the causation and prognosis of mental

retardation to alley their misconceptions, fear and unwarranted expectations
of miraculous care)

To educate mothers and families in caring for the mentally handicapped (e.g.
Training mentally retarded girls in house hold activities)
Special supervision for the physically handicapped or those severally. And
profoundly mentally retarded.
 Treatment of psychological problems in parents (e.g. Depression in mother
resulting in under simulation of a child resulting in retardation).

(d) Hospitalization

It is estimated than 4/1000 children are severely mentally restarted and

about one forth to one third of these needs hospitalization.

EFFECTS OF MENTAL RETARDATION ON THE PARENTS

Parents show

Distress, feelings of rejection

Depression, guilt, shame or anger

Rejection of child
Overindulgence
Social problems
Marital disharmony (in some)
Burden of care for their child.
Dissatisfaction about medical and social services

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS FACED BY PARENTS OF

MENTALLY CHALLENGED CHILDREN
Raising a child who is mentally challenged requires emotional strength and
flexibility. The child has special needs in addition to the regular needs of all
children, and parents a can find themselves overwhelmed by various medical,
caregiving and educational responsibilities. Whether the special needs of the
 child are minimal or complex, the parents are inevitably affected. Support
from family, friends, the community or paid caregivers is critical to
maintaining balance in the home.

EMOTIONAL ISSUES

Parents of mentally challenged children commonly experience a gamut of

emotions over the years. They often struggle with guilt. One or both parents
may feel as though they somehow caused the child to be disabled, whether
from genetics, alcohol use, stress, or other logical or illogical reasons. This
guilt can harm the parents emotional health if it is not dealt with. Some
parents struggle with why and experience a spiritual crisis or blame the
other parent. Most parents have aspirations for their child from the time of
her birth and can experience severe disappointment that she will not be
president, a physician, an actor or whatever they hand in mind. These
parents must deal with the death of the perfect child who existed in their
minds and learn to love and accept the child they have. Occasionally, parent
feel embarrassed or ashamed that their child is mentally disabled.

PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION AND STRESS

Physical exhaustion can take a toll on the parents of a mentally challenged child.
The degree of this usually relative to the amount of care needed. Feeding, bathing,
moving, clothing and diapering an infant is much easier physically than doing the
same tasks for someone who weighs 80 pounds. The child may have more physician
and other health-care appointments than a typical child and may need close
medical monitoring. He may also need to be watched to avoid inadvertent self-harm
such as falling down stairs or walking inti the street. These additional
responsibilities can take a physical toll on a parent, leading to exhaustion. The
American Academy of Family Physicians relates that these issues can cause
significant caregiver stress.

SCHOOL-RELATED ISSUES

The parent of a child with developmental disabilities may have to deal with
complex issues related to education. Either a private education must be
 sought, or an adequate public education must be available. Parents often
have to advocate for their child to receive a quality educational experience
that will enrich her. This often requires close parental contact with the school
system. The parent must monitor the childs interactions with other to ensure
she is not being bullied. Transportation to and from school may require a
specialized bus or van, and children with severe disabilities may need to be
schooled at home.

FINANCIAL CONCERNS

Raising a child with a mental challenge may be more expensive than raising a
typical child. These expenses can arise from medical equipments and
supplies, medical care, caregiving expenses, private education, tutoring,
adaptive learning equipment or specialized transportation. The care of the
child may last a lifetime instead of 18 years, Parents may have to set aside
money in a trust fund for the childs care when they pass away.

CHALLENGES FACED BY THE FAMILY

1. ACCEPTANCE

When a doctor gives the parents the news that their child is mentally
retarded and will never be completely normal, it is too painful for most
parents to face. Many parents, like in Hrithiks case, spend years in denial,
trying to find some solution or cure to this problem, They might go from one
hospital to another, try alternative forms of medicine or look to religion for a
miracle. But mental retardation is not a disease and there are no medicines
to cure it. It is a syndrome which is caused by genetic factors (chromosomal
abnormalities like in Down s syndrome), hereditary causes (due to marriage
between close relatives, previous incidence of mental retardation in the
 family) or due to brain damage of some sort. As hard as it is to accept, once
parents realize that their child is mentally retarded and will remain so, their
expectations of the child will readjust accordingly. They can move on to
talking the necessary steps to help the child make the most of his potential
by going addressing his special needs through special education, vocational
training etc.

2. SELF-BLAME

The parents wonder if they did something wrong, during the coarse of the
pregnancy or after birth, while taking care of the child. They wonder if God is
punishing them for their sins.

3. STIGMA

Many parents might feel that a mentally retarded child is something to be

ashamed of and cannot be allowed out of the house. Neighbours, relatives or
others might make cruel remarks about the child and parents might feel
isolated and without support.

4. HELPLESSNESS

Many parents dont know how to get help for their child once he/she has been
diagnosed with mental retardation. The sense of helplessness comes both
from a lack of understanding about mental retardation and a lack of
information about the resources available for mentally retarded individuals. It
might also arise from insensitive handling of the case by the mental health
professionals, who might not have enough time to talk to each family at
length about their experience.
5. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Many parents find it difficult to handle behaviour problems like screaming,

crying, inability to concentrate, aggressiveness, stubbornness etc. that a child
with mental retardation might have. For parents, especially mother, whom
have to take care of household tasks and work apart from taking care of the
child, patience can wear thin. Getting angry with the child or hitting him/her
also does not help very much, Often, the child might not understand how
disruptive his/her behaviour is top others and why they get angry.

6. Unrealistic expectations

Many times, parents of mentally retarded children are mentally dissatisfied

with the slow progress their child is making in learning new things, They push
harder to force the child to learn quicker and try to be on par with other
children. However, the child can only learn to the best of his/her ability and
no more. If he/she has the mental age of a 8yr old, he/she cannot be
expected to undertake a normal vocation which requires complicated mental
processes. When parents have unrealistic expectations of what their child can
achieve, it leads to disappointment not only for them but also in the child
who does not understand what he/she is doing wrong.

7. WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE

One of the main concerns of parents with mentally retarded children is about
how their children will be taken care of when the die. They feel that no one
else can take care of their child with same love and care than they have and
they have scared about how their child will manage to survive in the world.
8. MARITAL FAMILY PROBLEMS

Having a child who is mentally retarded places greater strain on a family than
otherwise. Due to the extra tasks that have to be done to take care of the
child, parents feel overworked, stressed out and unhappy. The marital
relationship can become strained if the parents have different approaches in
dealing with the child or if one parent has to take care of the child all the
time. Sometimes, mothers might feel they are not getting enough support
from their husband in taking care of the child. Fathers might feel that the
mothers are unnecessarily worried and overprotective of the child. Other
family members can complicate matters depending on how they react to the
child.

All these reactions that a family experiences are completely normal. It takes
time, support and accurate information to understand and accept what their
child is. Even after coming to terms with the fact that mental retardation is
incurable, it is very difficult to give up hope that someday something will
make their child normal. This hope is what might keep most parents going. As
long as this hope does not lead to demanding too much o0f the child, it is
perfectly ok. There are professionals like psychiatrists, clinical psychologists,
occupational therapists and counsellors who can help you are going through
a similar experience.

HOW PARENTS COPE WITH A MENTALLY COPED CHILD

Parents of a mentally challenged child experience many emotional difficulties
including self-blame, helplessness, unrealistic expectations, worries for the
 future and marital strain, according to psychologist Sarayu Chandrasekhar, a
counselor for the Talk It Over website. As you learn to cope with your childs
challenges, it is important that you educate yourself about his disability, seek
out support support from parents facing similar challenges and consider
counselling to help you reach acceptance.

EDUCATION

Learn about the challenges your child is facing. The more you learn, the more
you will be able to help your child and yourself. Ask your childs paediatrician,
teachers and therapists for book recommendations that will educate you
about your childs challenges and provide way for you to encourage his
independence and courses that might be able to educate you further about
how his disability affects development and what types of services may help.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Many parents of mentally-challenged children benefit from joining a parent

group and meeting other families with similar needs, according to the
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). Online
support group exist and provide information and emotional support. Local
parent groups may exist in your area, and your family can meet other
families facing similar challenge in person. In support group you will be able
to share struggles with others who understand while learning about local
resources other families have benefited from. Check the NICHCYS website for
a list of parent groups in your area.

RESPITE
 All parents need a break from the responsibilities of caring for their childbut
parents of a child with disabilities may have more difficulty accessing this
type of relief,says NancyOlson, a nurse and president of the Respite Care
Association of Wisconsin, Inc. Check with your local hospital, YMCA or church
to see if they provide groups or professionals within their organization who
offer respite care. Seek out parents of other special needs children who are
qualified and experienced in caring for a mentally challenged child and ask if
you can work out a trade where you take turns watching each others children
while the other couple has a chance to run errands or enjoy a night out.

COUNSELING

Parents of disabled children go through a grieving process that includes

shock, denial, anger and acceptance, according to William Healey, chair of
the Department of Special Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Healey states that schools should provide a list of counsellors for parents of
disabled children. Most parents need assistance as they work towards
acceptance of their childs challenges and encounter setbacks. A professional
will be able to help you reach a healthy balance of hopes for your child with
the reality of your childs achievements and developments. Counselling will
be of great help to the parents.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There are about 15 million mentally retarded in India. As many as 3 out of
every 100 people are mentally retarded. In fact out of 10 children who need
special education has some form of mentally challenge. In this present
scenario, parents are persons who are suffers, who are subject to many
prejudices of the society. They undergo financial problems mainly due to
treatment, providing special education. Moreover they will be troubled
thinking about the future of their children.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 Mentally retarded children are one of the most important problems faced by
human beings which produce lot of psychological disturbance in the heart of
caregivers, especially the parents. Thus the researcher has made an attempt
to study the psychological problems faced by the parents of mentally
challenged children and also to offer some suggestions to improve the
parent-child relationship.

CHAPTERISATION
 This study has five chapters.

CHAPTER I

This chapter deals with the Introduction part. It includes the Statement of the
Problem and the Significance of the Study.

CHAPTER II

This chapter deals with the review of Literature.

CHAPTER III

This chapter deals with the Research Methodology.

CHAPTER IV

This chapter deals with the Analysis and Interpretation of the collected data.

CHAPTER V

This chapter deals with the Major Findings of the Study. It also deals with the
Suggestions and the Conclusions.
Chapter II

Review of Literature

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
 The review of literature is been written with a purpose to convey that
knowledge and ideas has been established on a topic and what are its
strength and weakness. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be
defined by a guiding concept (e.g., the research objective, the problem or
issue under discussion or the argumentative thesis). It is not just a
descriptive list of material available or a set of summaries. The topic for the
present study is the psychosocial problems of parents mentally challenged
children.

ROGER C. LOEB (1977) in their study on Group Therapy for Parents of

Mentally Retarded Children face many special stresses. They have
traditionally been offered information about their children but little
opportunity to explore their own needs and difficulties. Such an opportunity
was offered to parents, as couples, in group settings. The leaders concluded
that the most effective approach was an eclectic one including Rogerian
reflection, Freudian interpretation, Ellis reality therapy, Gestalt techniques,
and learning theory-based behaviour modification. Most parents proved to be
compassionate and insightful group members with a great deal to offer each
other.

GODDESS J. OZGUL S. OWEN C, FOLEY Evano L (1982) of Australian

National University Lanbeera, Australia conducted a study on the Grief
Experience of Parents of Adult Children with Mental Illness and its
Relationship to Parental Health and Well Being and Parent Child Attachment
and Alternative Relationship. Participants were recruited from a variety of
organizations throughout Australia that support services for sufferers of
mental illness and for their families.

The study provides important insights into the grief experience of

parents following their children being diagnosed with mental illness. The
significant relationship between parental grief and parental psychological well
being and health status as well as to parent child relationship has important
implications for health professionals. Fore
most among these are the need to validate the distress and griefs of parents
and to better understand how to provide family bonds while reducing
emotional distress and life disruption

CHANG, MEI-YING, (1994) of International Journal of Disability, in their

studied about Development and Education of Parents. Most research into
family care-giving has been undertaken in western, English-speaking
societies with little cognizance taken of possible differences across cultures.
Home-based interviews were conducted with 117 mothers and fathers in
Taipei City, Taiwan and five main themes were identified using content
analysis. Three themes expressed the impact of the child on family
functioning, parental health, and levels of stress and two themes described
parents copying strategies and sources of support. Although these themes
broadly replicate findings from other cultures, certain features of Taiwanese
Chinese society appear to accentuate the impact on mothers especially of
having a child with an intellectual disability. The implications for the provision
of family-centred services are discussed, especially in helping parents to
recognize their strengths and copying capabilities, and to promote their
influence in changing cultural attitudes.

GAYTON WF (1995), in their study on Management Problems of

Mentally Retarded Children and Their Families found out that Paediatricians
faced with the difficult task of providing management services to mentally
retarded children and their families are confronted with a number of difficult
problems. These range all the way from deciding how to inform parents that
their child is retarded to dealing with grandparents who are a source of
stress. Successful handling of these problems requires recognition that
management is central to the care of the mentally retarded child. The needs
of mentally retarded children and their families will not be met by interacting
with families only around issues of acute physical illness. Attention must be
directed towards psychological as well as medical variable and the emphasis
must be on the total family system.
 BORGHGRAEF M, UMANS (1995), Centre for Human Genetics, of University
Hospital Gasthuisberg, Belgium in their study about Management of Behaviour and
Personality of nine girls, with a 50% risk to be carrier of the FMR-1 gene and who
attended normal school and did not have a mentally retarded for a relative, were
selected to exclude influences of external factors. These subjects were submitted to
an extensive neuro cognitive and psychiatric evaluation before molecular analysis of
their FMR-1 status was done to obtain completely unbiased results. The findings of
this study suggest that differentiation ac according to the FMR-1 status may be
more significant at the neurocognitive level than at the behavioural level and
support the hypothesis that behavioural problems are more influenced by external
factors than by the FMR-1 carrier state.

KAUR, ANUPAM, DHILLON (1996), Department of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry, conducted a study on Psychological and Risk of Parents of
Mentally Retarded. The purpose of this paper is to further understand the
mentally retarded child and his family, and review the psychiatrists role in
the assessment and treatment of the common emotional disorders found
therein. Appropriate assessment techniques, the frequently noted emotional
disorders,parental responses, and helpful treatment modalities will be
reviewed. Psychotherapy with the mentally retarded child is challenging,
diverse, and demands greater attention from the mental health profession.

M.R... ALI, Bangladesh (1996) of Institution for the Mentally Retarded in their
study on Aspirations and Ground Reality of Mentally Retarded Children. This
study was designed to assess the personality characteristics and
psychological problems of parents of mentally retarded children. Seventy-six
parents, whose mean age was 42.12 year with SD 10.15.38 of mentally
retarded and 38 of normal children were investigated. A Bengali version of
the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was used to measure the
psychoticism, neuroticism and extraversion-introversion responses of the
parents. Results showed that parents of mentally retarded children had
significantly high scores only on the neurotism scale, indicating that they
were more emotionally unstable than the parents of normal children. The
findings were discussed in terms of certain considering factors
Associated with having a mentally retarded child. Counselling programmes for these
parents should take in to account these factors.

MARTIN J. LUBETSKY (1997), from the Department of child and

Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh school of Medicine in the study
about Normal Childhoods and Response to Childhood of Mentally
Handicapped. The purpose of this paper was to further understand the
mentally retarded child and his family, and review the psychiatrists role in
the assessment and treatment of the common emotional disorders found
therein. Appropriate assessment techniques, frequently noted emotional
disorders, parental responses, and helpful treatment modalities will be
reviewed. Psychotherapy with the mentally retarded child is challenging,
diverse and demands greater attention from the mental health profession.

SUSAN C. THOMPSON BS (1998) from South Carolina Department of

Disabilities And Special Needs, Columbia studied on Aging Parents of Adult
Children with Mental; Retardation. This paper describes the study of aging
parents of adult children with mental retardation. The challenges faced by
aging parents are discussed from the perspective of life-span development
psychology. This study examines whether there are differences based on age
of parent in caregiver burdens and caregiver gratifications. No significant
differences on the basis of age were found and analyses of the results
suggest that age of parent may be less helpful in understanding the
experiences of life-long care giving than family context and history.

Recommendations for practice and policy are discussed

Analysis of stress factors and Adjustment mechanisms towards these
factors in parents of mentally retarded children in their special school in Sari
in 1998. E.IIALI; R.ESMAEELI. The families who take care of their mentally
retarded are faced with numerous problems. These problems are varied
correspondingly with the degree of retardation, physical disability and the
excitement associated with it, interests, values and other external conditions
of members. Regarding the importance of this subject, in order
to determine the stress factors and adjustment mechanisms in the parents of
mentally retarded children, this study was conducted. Materials and Methods: A
descriptive study done on 98 parents of mentally retarded children. Sampling was
done by census. Results: The findings showed three domains of stress factors. The
highest level of stress in the social domain in mother and father was 62% and 54%
respectively. The highest level of adjustment related to the psychological domain in
mother and father was 58% and 61% respectively. On the basis of relationship
between stress factors and parental demographic variants, there were relationship
between the level of education, occupational status of parents, marital status, the
duration of marriage, number of mentally retarded children, age of mentally
retarded children and the time of diagnosis of mental retardation and the stress
factors. There were also relationship between adjustment mechanisms with parental
demographic variants such as; occupational status, duration of marriages, the
number of mentally retarded children, the sex of mentally retarded children, the sex
of mentally retarded children and the duration of the education of children.

CONCLUSION

According to the results, we could say that they the level of stress in mothers
in more than the fathers, and it was shown that fathers have more adjust
mental abilities as compare to mothers.

BETTY V. GRALIKER (1998) University of Southern California School of

Medicine and the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital. Initial Reactions and
concerns of parents to a diagnosis of mental retardation in their children are
considered in 67 families. The cause of the retardation and rejection of the
child were the two chief areas of objective concern. Other reactions were
rejections of the diagnosis and solicitude for other medical problems of the
child. Even after complete diagnostic study, ejection of the diagnosis of the
retardation occurred in one third of these families. Our data suggest that
initial counselling of parents of retarded children should be centred primarily
 on a discussion of diagnosis, aetiology, and immediate; problems.
Subsequent counselling

Should be directed towards the problems of future case. The importance of

sympathetic follow-up care by the physician is emphasized.

A study of Facilitators and Inhibitors that affect copying in Parents of Children

with Retardation in India, Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal, 1998. A
study was conducted to examine the facilitators and inhibitors to coping by
parents who have children with mental retardation. The sample consisted of
218 parents who were studied in three centres from different parts of India.
The patterns of facilitators and inhibitors to coping elicited during the
examination of parents are discussed in this paper. The authors suggest that
the results of this study may provide directions for the establishment of
rehabilitation services in future. The results indicate that parents reported
Physical support from within and outside the family as the most
importantfacilitator, followed by Professional support, Financial support,
Faith in God, Working out problems on ones own, Self-determination
and Inspiration from spouse or Guru. Thirty eight parents (17.4%) reported
that nothing had helped them in copying.

People with mentally challenged have mildly varying languages abilities with
the most severe instances of mentally challenged, speech may not develop at
all and communication may be limited to external devices or nonverbal
gestures. Absence of speech, however is not necessarily an indication of
extremely low IQ and even in their particular syndromes such as Down
syndrome, there is considerable variability in language strength and
weakness (SMITH & PHILIPS 1999) research has shown however that there is
often more consistency within syndromes related to mentally challenge than
other IQ category levels (TAGER- FLUSBERG, 1999).
RAHI JS,MANARAS I. TUOMANINEN H, HUNDT GL (2000), Centre for paediatric
epidemiology and biostatistics, institute of child health, United Kingdom.
Meeting the needs of parents around the time of diagnosis of disability
among their

children, the study reputed the impact on the experience of parents and the
practices of health care professionals of novel, hospital based, key worker
service.

Child Health Care 2003 this qualitative study used forms groups to identify
the difference and similarities in the experience of parents of children with a
disability. Two main themes emerged, showing the ways in which the mothers
and fathers alike or different. One concern roles, actual and expected, in
various subsystems of family life. The other concerns, the normalisation and
the stigmatization that arise because of the childs problem. Mother tends to
choose better in terms of interpersonal and group communication. It would
seem that fathers attuned to outer world; the actual day-to-day torts related
to childs care and their priority. The mother is less demanding and their
expectations are more self-focused. Interestingly, these families are similar to
families of children without disability; however, the difficulties and they
experience dare accentuated by the presence of a child with a problem.
 SHALIGRAM D, GIRIMAJI SC, CHATURVEDI SK (2007) Department of Psychiatry,
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. The
study is aimed to assess psychological problems and quality of life (QOL) in
children with Thalassemia. This study was conducted by the Department of
Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore.
The sample consisted of children of either sex (aged 8-16 years) with
confirmed diagnosisof transfusion dependent thalassemia attending the day
care facility at 2 general hospitals Bangalore. Those with mental retardation
and other chronical illness including seizures were excluded from the study.
Forty four percent of the children had psychological problems and 74% had
poor QOL. These psychological problems were similar to that seen in other
chronic physical illness but had not been recognised nor treated. The study
also demonstrated an association between untreated psychological problems
and poor HRQOL. It is well known that psychological disturbancesadversely
affect compliance to treatment in thalassemia as in other chronic illness. We
suggest that due to importance the recognition and management (medicine,
psychological interventions e.g. individual

Therapy, family intervention packages, self-help groups) of psychological problems

would improve treatment outcomes including the HRQOL.

B.MAUGHAN, S. COLLISHAW and A.PICKLES Institute of Psychiatry, London

2007. Evidence on the adult adaptation of individuals with mild mental
retardation (MMR) is sparse , and knowledge of the factors associated with
more and less successful functioning in MMR samples yet more limited. For
many individuals with MMR, living circumstances and social conditions in
adulthood were poor and potential stressors high. Self-reports of
psychological distress in adulthood were markedly elevated, but relative rates
of psychiatric service use fell between childhood and adulthood, as reflected
in attributable risks. Childhood family and social disadvantage accounted for
some 20-30% of variations between MMR and non-retarded samples on a
range of adult outcomes. Early social adversity also played a significant role
in contributing to variations in functioning within the MMR sample.
Chapter-III
Research Methodology

Chapter-III

Research Methodology

INTRODUCTION

Research is an academic activity which gives creativity, thinking and

knowledge. The goal of research is progress and development for a good and
comfortable life. Research has proved to be an essential and powerful tool in
the modern world. Research is a matter of rising questions and then trying to
find answer to the question. It is a vital process in the developmental process
of human civilization. Research is ant of scientific investigation which adopts
proper methods and techniques for solving problems; it seeks to find
explanations to an explained phenomenon, to clarify the doubtful facts to
correct the misconceived facts. Research methodology is a significant and
vital step in research work because it involves preliminary works in a
chronological order and it shows a current methodology in project. The aim of
the research is to find out psycho social problems and coping strategies of
parents of mentally challenged children.

RESEARCH
 Research means search for knowledge. It aims at discovering new facts or
truth. It is the search for knowledge through objective and systematic methods of
finding solutions to problem. Therefore research is a process of systematic and in-
depth study or search for particular topic, subject of area of investigation backed by
collection, presentation and interpretation of relevant data.

TITLE OF THE STUDY

A Study on the Psychosocial Problems and Coping Strategies of Parents of

Mentally Challenged Children

AIM OF THE STUDY

To study the psychological problems and coping strategies of parents of

mentally retarded children.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To study the demographic details of the respondents.

To access the level of psychosocial problems of the

respondents.
To assess the level of coping strategies of the
respondents.
To find out the factors influencing key variables.
To find out the relationship between the key
variables.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Research design is a logical and systemic plan prepared for directing a

research study. In the research is the researcher used descriptive research
design for the study, which is concerned with describing the characteristics
of a particular individual or a group. The researcher tries to find out the
psychosocial problems and coping strategies of parents of mentally
challenged children. Descriptive research design was used for the study.

UNIVERSE & SAMPLING

i. Universe of the study

The universe of the present study is eighty children who are studying in
Shilpaspecialschool at Cochin, Kerala.

ii. Sampling

Sampling is the process of drawing a sample from the universe. A part

of the universe is called a sample. The sample size for the study is 60
which was selected using lottery method. The researcher used the
simple random sampling with lottery method to collect the data.

PROFILE OF THE AGENCY

SHILPA Society was formed in June 1996 as a charitable society

to provide the selfless service to the mentally disabled and improve
their quality of life.

About 2 to 3% of our population are mentally disabled and there is a

great need for special centres. Trapped in disobedient bodies and
minds these innocent children andtheir families look upon the society
to lend a helping hand so that they too realise that life is for love,
laughter, dreams and hopes.

Infants and small children are screened at the clinic and when disability
is suspect they are bought at regular intervals and early stimulation
programs including physiotherapy is given (Home management
training)

It has been found that early intervention can drastically improve this
condition as, 80% of brain growth is completed by years of age. A team
of doctors provide this selfless service.

PILOT STUDY

Pilot study is the preliminary study of the topic concerned. It

gives the researcheran idea about the different variables involved,
nature of the problem, and possible difficulties in data collection. The
researcher selected the problem after various discussions with his
guide. The researcher also had discussions with concerned persons like
psychiatrists and mental health professionals.

PRE-TEST

The items for interview schedule were prepared after discussing

with the researchers guide. The structured interview schedule was
prepared in English. In order to find out the validity of the structured
interview schedule a pre-test was conducted with 10 respondents. The
pre-test, unnecessary questions were removed and relevant questions
were added. The pre-test samples were not included in the study.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING RESPONDENTS

Included only the parents of mentally challenged children with

the age group of below 18years. The study excluded the parents who
have children with mentally retardation who were above 18 years of
age.

TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION

For this study Interview Schedule was used, it consist of three

parts. First part consist of personal data of the data respondents which
includes age, gender, education, occupation, area of residence,
religion, type of the family, family income.

The second part includes 2 standardized scales

1) Psychosocial problem scale developed by Manual and Nicholas

(1992). The scale contain 20 statements. It is a four point scale, the
scores are always (4), Sometimes (3), rarely (2), never (1). All the
questions are positive the highest possible score is 80 and lowest
score is 20. Higher the score higher the Psychosocial problem. It is
divided into Low, Moderate and High.
2) Coping strategies scale developed by Folk man and Lazarus (1989)
the scale contains 18 statements and 7 negative he statements.
Four point scale was used to measure the coping strategies the
scoring attributed positive questions are 0,1,2,3 and negative
 questions are 3,2,1,0 the maximum score is 54 and minimum score
is 0. Positive questions: (1,3,4,6,8,10,11,12,15,17,18), Negative
questions: (2,5,7,13,14,16). Higher the score higher the level of
coping. It is divided into Low, Moderate and High.

DATA ANALYSIS

The researcher collected the data through interview schedule. The data
was analysed and master sheet was prepared. The data was presented in
simple table. The collected data was entered into SPSS. Simple Percentage,
ANOVA, t Test and Co-relation was done.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

As it was conducted in one agency it cannot be generalised.

The response given by the respondents cannot be purely trusted as
they seemed to be defensive to certain questions.
Many respondents were not interested to reveal their family problem to
their researcher.
The time was limited.

DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE RESEARCHER

The researcher had to take much effort to convenience the mentally

challenged Childrens parents regarding the purpose of the study and
its importance.

OPERATIONALISATION OF CONCEPTS

Psychological problem

Problems that occur in ones psychological functioning can be referred to as

psychosocial dysfunction or psychosocial morbidity.

Coping strategies

Coping strategies refer to the specific efforts, both behavioural and

psychological, that people may employ to master, tolerate, reduce or
minimize stressful events.
 Mental Retardation

Mental retardation (MR) is a condition diagnosed before age 18, usually in

infancy or prior to birth, that includes below average intellectual function,
and a lack of the skills necessary for daily living.

Parents

A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a

parent is of a child. Here it is the parents of mentally retarded children.

Children

A child generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger

than the age of majority. Here children means children with mental
retardation.
Chapter-IV

Analysis and Interpretation

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

TABLE NO. 01

1. DETAILS OF THE RESPONDENTS

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BSED ON RELATIONSHIP WITH
CHILD

SL.NO RELATIONSHIP FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

WITH CHILD
Father 17 28
1
Mother 43 72
2
Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the respondents of the study
72% are more of the children. 28% of respondents were fathers of children

CHART: 1

Distribution of respondents on their relationship with child

 Sales

72%

Father Mother

TABLE NO. 02

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENT BASED ON AGE

SL.NO AGE FREQUENCY PERCENTGE

 1 21-25 1 2

2 26-30 7 12

3 31-35 8 13

4 36-40 8 13

5 41-45 36 60

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the respondents of the
study 60% are from age group 41 to 45 years. 13% each of respondents are
from age 31 to 35 years and 36 to 40 years. 12% of respondents are from
the age group 26 to 30 years. Only 2% of respondents are from the age
group 21 to 25 years.

CHART: 2

Distribution of respondents based on their age

 60%

12% 13% 13%

2%

21 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 35 36 to 40 41 to 45

TABLE NO.3

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENT BASED ON EDUCATIONAL

QUALIFICATION

SL.NO EDUCATIONAL FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

 QUALIFICATION
1 Illiterate 0 0

2 SSLC 44 73

3 Plus Two 9 15

4 UG 7 12

5 PG 0 0

6 Above PG 0 0

From the above table it is clear that majority of respondents of the

study 73% are having educational qualification of SSLC. 15% have education
of Plus Two. 12% have educational qualification of UG. None of them are
illiterates.

CHART: 3
 12%

15%

SSLC
Plus Two
UG

73%

Distribution of respondents based on their educational

qualification
 TABLE NO. 4

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON OCCUPATION

SL.NO OCCUPATION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1 Business 1 2

2 Agriculture 0 0

3 Employed 22 36

4 Unemployed 37 62

Total 60 100
 It is clear from the above table that majority of the respondents 62%
are unemployed. 36% of respondents are employed. Only 2% of respondents
do business. None of them do agriculture.

CHART: 4

Distribution of respondents based on their Occupation

 2%

36%

Business
Employed
Unemployed

62%

TABLE: 5

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON DOMICILE

SL.NO DOMICILE FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

 1 Rural 0 0

2 Urban 60 100

3 Semi Urban 0 0

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that all the respondents 100% are from urban
area.

CHART: 5

Distribution of respondents based on their Domicile

 100%

0%
Rural

Urban

TABLE NO.6

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON TYPE OF

FAMILY
 SL.NO TYPE OF FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
FAMILY
1 Joint 0 0

2 Nuclear 60 100

3 Extended 0 0

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that 100% of the respondents of the
study belong to nuclear family.

TABLE NO.7

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON NUMBER OF

CHILDREN
 SL.NO NO OF FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
CHILDREN
1 1-3 54 90

2 4-6 6 10

3 7-9 0 0

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the respondents 90%
have 1 to 3 children. 10% of respondents have 4 to 6 children. None of the
respondents have 7 to 9 children.

CHART: 6

Distribution of respondents based on the number of

children
 10%

90%

1 to 3 4 to 6 0

TABLE NO.8

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON FAMILY

MONTHLY INCOME
SL.NO FAMILY FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
INCOME
1 Below 5000 6 10

2 Above 5000 48 80
Below 10000
3 Above 10000 6 10

Total 40 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the respondents 80%
have a family monthly income of below 10000 but above 5000. 10% of
respondents have their income below 5000. 10% of respondents have
monthly income above 10000.

CHART: 7
Distribution of respondents based on their family monthly
income

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr

10% 10%

80%
II. INFORMATION OF THE CHILD

TABLE NO. 9

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON AGE

SL.NO AGE FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1 1-5 7 12

2 6-10 14 23

3 11-15 39 65

TOTAL 60 100

It is clear from the above table that majority of children of respondents

of the study (65%) are from the age group of 11 to 15years.23% children of
the respondents are in the age group of 6 to 10 years. 7% of the respondents
are in the age group of 2 to 5 years.
 CHART: 8

Distribution of children based on their age

65%

23%

12%

1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15
 TABLE NO.10

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON GENDER

SL.NO GENDER FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1 Male 34 57

2 Female 26 43

TOTAL 60 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the children of the
study are male (57%). Only 43% of the children are female.
 CHART: 9

Distribution of respondents based on their gender

31%

Male
Female
0
69%
 TABLE NO: 11

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON RELIGION

SL.NO RELIGION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1 Christian 19 32

2 Hindu 23 38

3 Muslim 18 30

4 Others 0 0

Total 60 100

It is clear from the above table that majority of the respondents of the
study (38%) are Hindus. 32% of the respondent children are Christian. 30%
of the respondents are Muslims.
 CHART: 10

Distribution of respondents based on their Religion

30%
38%

32%

Christian Hindu Muslim Others

 TABLE NO. 12

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON EDUCATIONAL

STATUS

SL.NO STUDYING FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1 Yes 60 100

2 No 0 0

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that 100% of the respondents children
are studying.
 TABLE NO.13

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON THEIR STUDY

PLACE

SL.NO PLACE FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1 School 60 100

2 Day Care 0 0

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that 100% of the respondents children
are studying in school.
 TABLE NO.14

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON PLACE OF

RESIDENCE

SL.NO PLACE OF FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

RESIDENCE
1 Hostler 0 0

2 Day Scholar 60 100

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that 100% of the respondents of the
study are day scholars.
 TABLE NO.15

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON DEGREE OF

MENTAL RETARDATION

SL.NO DEGREE OF FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

MR
1 Mild 28 47

2 Moderate 23 38

3 Severe 7 12

4 Profound 2 3

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the children 47% have
Mild degree of mental retardation. 38% have moderate level of mental
retardation. 7% have severe degree of mental retardation. Only 3% of
children have profound degree of mental retardation.
 CHART: 11

Distribution of respondents based on Degree of mental

retardation

Mild Moderate Severe Profound

 TABLE NO. 16

DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN BASED ON THE POSITION OF

CHILD IN THE FAMILY

SL.NO ORDINAL FREQUENY PERCENTAGE

POSITION
1 First 32 54

2 Second 23 38

3 Third 0 0

4 Fourth 3 5

5 Fifth 2 3

6 Sixth 0 0

Total 60 100

From the above table it is clear that majority of the children of study
54% are the first children of the parents. 38% of children are second child.
5% of children are fourth. Only 3% of children are fifth. None of them are
sixth.
 CHART: 12

Distribution of child based on their Ordinal Position in the

family

5% 3%

First
Second
38% 54% Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
 TABLE NO. 17

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON THE LEVEL OF

PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEM SCORE

SL.NO PSYCHOSOCI FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

AL PROBLEM
1 Low 0 0

2 Moderate 36 60

3 High 24 40

TOTAL 60 100

It is clear from the above table that majority of the respondents of the
study (60%) are having moderate level of psychosocial problems. None of
the respondents have low level of psychosocial problems.
 CHART: 13

Distribution of respondents based on their level of

Psychosocial Problem

40%
Low
Moderate
High
60%
 TABLE NO.18

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS BASED ON THE LEVEL OF

COPING STRATEGY SCORE

SL.NO COPING FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

STRATEGY
SCARE
1 Low 12 20

2 Moderate 12 20

3 High 36 60

TOTAL 60 100

It is clear from the above table that majority of the respondents of the
study (60%) are having high level of coping strategy score. 20% of
respondents are having low coping strategies and 20% of respondents are
having moderate level of coping.
 CHART: 14

Distribution of respondents based on their level of coping

20% 20%

Low
Moderate
High

60%
 TABLE NO. 19

SIGNIFICANCE TEST (t) FOR COMPARISON OF PSYCHOSOCIAL

PROBLEM SCORE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILD

Relationship of the N Mean Std. Std. Error

informant with the Deviation Mean
child

Psycho Social 17 2.4706 .51450 .12478

Problem Father 43 2.3721 .48908 .07458
Scale Mother

T Df Sig. (2-tailed)

.693 58 .491.491

Calculated Value 0.693

T Value 1.960

Level of Significance 0.5%

The t-test was applied to find whether there is significant difference between
the psychosocial problem and relationship with child. The calculated value is
0.693 is lesser than the table value of 1.960. Since the calculated value is
lesser than the table value it is inferred than there is no significant difference
between the relationship with child and the psychosocial problems.

TABLE NO.20

Anova table comparing psychosocial problem score with age of

respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

21-25 1 3.0000 .
26-30 7 2.7143 .48795
31-35 8 2.6250 .51755
36-40 8 2.3750 .51755
41-45 36 2.2778 .45426
Total 60 2.40000 .49403

Psycho Social Problem Scale

Sum of Df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between
Groups 1.999 4 .500 2.217 .079
Within 12.401 55 .225
Groups
Total 14.400 59

Calculated Value 2.217

 F Value 2.52

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Psycho social
problem score differs significantly with the age of respondents. The ANOVA
result shows that the calculated F ratio value is 2.217 which is less than the
table value of 2.52. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it
is inferred that the psychosocial problems do not differ significantly
according to the age of the respondents.

TABLE NO. 21

Anova table comparing psychosocial problem with educational

qualification of respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

SSLC 44 2.4091 .49735

Plus Two 9 2.5556 .52705

UG 7 2.1429 .37796

Total 60 2.4000 .49403

Sum of df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between
Groups .684 2 .342 1.422 .250

Within 13.716 57 .241

Groups
14.400 59
Total
 Calculated Value 1.422

F Value 3.15

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Psycho-social
problem scores differ significantly with the education of respondents. The
ANOVA result shoes that the calculated F ratio value is 1.422 which is less
than the table value of 3.15. Since the calculated value is less than the table
value it is inferred that the psychosocial problems do not differ significantly
according to the educational qualification of the respondents.

TABLE NO. 22

Anova table comparing psychosocial problem with occupation of

respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

Business 1 2.0000 .
Employed 22 2.3636 .49237
Unemployed 37 2.4324 .50225
Total 60 2.4000 .49403

Sum of df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square

Between
Groups .228 2 .114 .459 .635

Within 14.172 57 .249

Groups
 14.400 59
Total

Calculated Value - .459

F Value 3.15

Level of Significance- 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Psycho-social
problem scores differ significantly with the occupation of respondents. The
ANOVA result shows that the calculated F ratio value is 0.459 which is less
than the table value of 3.15. Since the calculated value is less than the table
value it is inferred that the psychosocial problems do not differ significantly
according to the occupation of the respondents.

TABLE NO. 23

Anova table comparing psychosocial problem with the number of

children of respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

1-3 54 2.4074 .49597

4-6 6 2.3333 .51640
Total 60 2.4000 .49403

Sum of Df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between .030 1 .030 .120 .731
Groups 14.370 58 .248
Within Groups 14.400 59
Total

Calculated Value 120

F Value 4.00

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Psycho-social
problem scores significantly with the number of children of respondents. The
ANOVA result shows that the calculated F ratio value is 0.120 which is less
than the table value of 4.00. Since the calculated value is less than the table
value it is inferred that the psychosocial problems do not suffer significantly
according to the number of children of the respondents.

TABLE NO. 24

Anova table comparing psychosocial problem with family monthly

income of respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

1-5000 6 2.1667 .40825

5001-10000 48 2.4375 .50133
10001-15000 6 2.3333 .51640
Total 60 2.4000 .49403

Sum of Df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
 Between
Groups .421 2 .210 .858 .429

Within 13.979 57 .245

Groups
14.400 59
Total

Calculated Value .858

F Value 3.15

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Psycho-social
problem scores differ significantly with the family monthly income of
respondents. The ANOVA result shows that the calculated F ratio value is
0.858 which is less than the table value of 3.15. Since the calculated value is
less than the table value it is inferred that the psychosocial problems do not
differ significantly according to the family monthly income of the
respondents.

TABLE NO. 25

SIGNIFICANCE TEST (t) FOR COMPARISON OF COPING STRATEGY

SCORE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILD

Coping strategy scale N Mean Std. Std. Error Mean

Deviation
Relationship of the 12 1.8333 .38925 .11237
0-18
Informant with the 36 1.6389 .48714 .08119
child
19-36

T df Sig (2- tailed)

1.253 46 .217

Calculated value 1.253

T Value 1.960

Level of Significance 0.5%

The t-test was applied to find out whether there is significant difference
between the coping strategy and relationship with child. The calculated value
is 1.253 which is lesser than the table value of 1.960. Since the calculated
value is lesser than the table value it is inferred that there is no significant
difference between the relationship with child and coping strategies.

TABLE NO. 26

Anova table comparing Coping strategies scale with age of

respondents.
 N Mean Std. Deviation

21-25 1 2.0000 .
26-30 7 2.1429 .69007
31-35 8 2.3750 .74402
36-40 8 1.8750 .83452
41-45 36 1.9167 .55420
Total 60 2.0000 .63779

Sum of Df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between 1.643 4 .411 1.010 .410
Groups 22.357 55 .406
Within 24.000 59
Groups
Total

Calculated Value 1.010

F Value 2.52

Level of Significance 0.5%

One wat ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean coping strategy
scores differ significantly with the age of respondents. The ANOVA result
shows that the calculated F ratio value is 1.010 which is less than the table
value of 2.52. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is
inferred that the Coping strategies do not differ significantly according to the
age of respondents.

TABLE NO.27
 Anova table comparing Coping strategies scale with education of
respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

SSLC 44 1.9773 .62835

Plus Two 9 1.8889 .78174
UG 7 2.2857 .48795
Total 60 2.0000 .63779

Sum of df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between
Group .705 2 .353 .863 .472
Within 23.295 57 .409
Groups 24.000 59
Total

Calculated Value - .863

F Value 3.15

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the Coping strategy scores
differ significantly with the education of respondents. The ANOVA result
shows that the calculated F ratio value is 0.863 which is less than the table
value of 3.15. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it is
inferred that the Coping strategies do not differ significantly according to the
educational qualification of the respondents.
 TABLE NO.28

Anova table comparing Coping strategies with occupation of

respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

Business 1 2.0000 .
Employed 22 2.0000 .61721
Unemployed 37 2.0000 .66667
Total 60 2.0000 .63779

Sum of df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between .000 2 .000 .000 1.000
Groups 24.000 57 .421
Within Groups 24.000 59
Total

Calculated value - .000

F Value 3.15

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Coping strategy
scores differ significantly with the occupation of respondents. The ANOVA
result shows that the calculated F ratio value is .000 which is less than the
table value of 3.15. Since the calculated value is less than the table value it
is inferred that the Coping strategies do not differ significantly according to
the occupation of the respondents.
 TABLE NO. 29

Anova table comparing Coping strategies scale with the number of

children of respondents.

N Mean Std. Deviation

1-3 54 2.0185 .62919

4-6 6 1.8333 .75277
Total 60 2.0000 .63779

Sum of df Mean F Sig.

Squares Square
Between .185 1 .185 .451 .505
Groups 23.815 58 .411
Within 24.000 59
Groups
Total

Calculated Value - .451

F Value 4.00

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Coping strategy
scores differ significantly with the number of children of respondents. The
ANOVA result shows that the calculated F ratio value is 0.451 which is less
than the table value of 4.00. Since the calculated value is less than the table
value it is inferred that the Coping strategies do not differ significantly
according to the number of children of the respondents.
 TABLE NO.30

Anova table comparing Coping strategy scale with monthly family

income of respondents

N Mean Std. Deviation

1-5000 6 2.0000 .89443

5001-10000 48 2.0417 .61742
10001-15000 6 1.6667 .51640
Total 60 2.0000 .63779

Sum of Squares Df Mean F Sig.

Square
Between .000 2 .000 .000 1.000
Groups
Within 24.000 57 .421
Groups 24.000 59
Total

Calculated Value - .000

F Value 3.15

Level of Significance 0.5%

One way ANOVA was applied to find whether the mean Coping strategy
scores differ significantly with the monthly family income of respondents.
The ANOVA result shows that the calculated F ratio value is 0.0000 which is
less than the table value of 3.15. Since the calculated value is less than the
table value it is inferred that the Coping strategies do not differ significantly
according to the monthly family income of the correspondents.
 TABLE NO.31

CORRELATION BETWEEN PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEM SCORE AND

COPING STRATEGIES SCALE

Correlations

Psycho Social Coping

Problem Strategy
Scale Scale
Psycho Social Problem Person 1 -108
Scale Correlation
Sig. (2- 413
tailed) 60 60
N
Coping Strategy Scale Person -.108 1
Correlation
Sig. (2- .413
tailed) 60 60
N

Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level.

Correlation analysis was applied to find the degree of relationship between

the level of psychosocial problem and the level of coping strategies. The
correlation score shows that there is a good correlation between the level of
psychosocial problem score and the level of coping strategy score.
Chapter v

MAJOR FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND

CONCLUSION
 CHAPTER V

Findings, Suggestions and Conclusions

Findings

The data collected from 60 respondents have been analysed and the
major findings of the study are presented this chapter as follows.

1. SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS

More than half (65%) of the respondents children belong to the age
group of 11 to 25 years.
57% of the respondents children are male.
38% of the respondents children are Hindus.
47% of the respondents children have mild mental retardation.
54% of the respondents children belong to the first ordinal position
of the family.
Majority (72%) of the respondents are mothers,
Majority of the respondents (60%) belong to the age group 41 to
45.
Majority of the respondents (62%) are unemployed.
100% of the respondents live in urban area.
100% of the respondents are from the nuclear family.
Most of the respondents (90%) have 1 to 3 children.
Most of the respondents (80%) are earning RS 5000 to 10000
2. Level of key variables
Majority of the respondents (60%) have moderate level of
psychosocial problem.
Majority (60%) of the respondents belong to the category of
moderate level of coping.
3. ANOVA AND t TEST
 There is no significance difference between the relationship with child
and the psychosocial problems.
There is no significant difference between the psychosocial problems
and the age of the respondents.

There is no significant difference between the psychosocial problem

and educational qualification of the respondents.
There is no significant difference between the psychosocial problems
and the occupation of respondents.
There is no significant difference between the psychosocial problem
and the number of children of respondents.
There is no significant difference between psychosocial problem and
family monthly income of respondents.
There is no significant difference between the relationship with child
and the coping strategies.
There is no significant difference between the coping strategies and
age of the respondent.
There is no significant difference between the coping strategies and
educational qualification of the respondents.
There is no significant difference between the coping strategies and
occupation of respondents.
There is no significant difference between the coping strategies and
number pf children of respondents.
There is no significant difference between coping strategies and
family monthly income of respondents.
4. CORRELATION
There is no significant association between psychosocial problems and
coping strategies.
SUGGESTIONS

1. Regular awareness is needed for parents to solve their psychological

and adjustmental problems.
2. Awareness must be given to parents as to what are various ways that
lead to mentally challenged children.
3. Parents must be educated as to how to bring up the child using modern
technologies of training.
4. Government should provide many institutions for mentally challenged
children.
5. The government should provide occupational training to mentally
challenged children, since parents are worried about their childrens
future.
6. Government should provide financial support to the parents of
mentally challenged children.
7. The doctor should frankly tell the parents if they detect a mentally
challenged child has been born.
8. The siblings and the peer groups of the mentally challenged children
should be taught how to mingle with them.
CONCLUSION

The researcher has done a study on the psychosocial problems and

coping strategies of parents faced by mentally challenged children. The
questionnaire was structured according to the specific objective of the study.
The samples of the study were parents of mentally challenged children. The
researcher tried to understand the psychosocial problems encountered by
them and also the coping strategies. The researcher also tried to understand
the pattern of behaviour shown by the parents and their extent of awareness
regarding the mentally challenged children, but the positive aspect is that
they are inquisitive to know as to whether there is a cure for the mentally
challenged. Most of them find it difficult to look after the siblings of mentally
challenged children. This is due to the fact that extra care has to be given to
mentally challenged children. Therefore, most of the parents prefer to send
their mentally challenged child to institutions such as Shilpa Special School.

This study has been carried out to enumerate level of Psychosocial

Problems and Coping Strategies of Parents of Mentally Challenged Children.
Having a disabled child in the family is a continuous source of stress to the
family members. Not only the retarded child but the whole family affected to
this. But this study shows that is not necessary that every family of retarded
children will have negative impact but in some families this problem can
create a positive impact, like acceptance of this situation realistically,
standing right behind the retarded child and provide support. In this study
parents of 60 mentally challenged children were selected. The study was
carried out at the Shipa special school at Cochin, Kerala.

In conclusion it can be said that having an intellectually abnormal child

is not altogether a sign of so-called bad fate or misfortune to everyone, but
it can also be a challenge which strengthens the parents of those children.
But at the same time some are able to cope up with such situation and some
experience psychosocial problems to the family members and it can affect
them negatively in many ways and more attempts should be made for
primary prevention of mental retardation.

The present study helped the researcher to know each respondent

personally and to know their various levels of the psychosocial problems and
Coping strategies of the parents of mentally challenged children.
 Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Anil Malhotra (2004) Social psychology. Mac Millian India Limited, New
Delhi.
2. Allen Rubi (1998) Research methods for social work, Book publishing
California.
3. Bhatia M.S (2000) Essentials of Psychiatry. CBS Publishers, New Delhi.
4. David.G.Elemes (2003) Research methods in Psychology. Wads worth
publishing USA.
5. Duane, Sydney Ellen (2004) Psychology & Work today, Pearson
education publishing Singapore.
6. Earl Babbi (1991)The Practice of Social Research. Wads Worth
Publication, Belmont Calif.
7. Ferland. Peter S (2003) Introduction to Psychology, Brown publishers,
USA.
8. Prof.Jayachandran.P. (1997) Mental retardation and associated
disabilities, Brown publishers, USA.
9. Lynda Crane (2001) Mental Retardation A community Integration
Approach. Wads Worth Publication, Belmont, Calif.
10. James.W.Kalat (2002) Introduction to psychology, Wads worth
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 11. Mangal SK (2002) Abnormal psychology. Sterling paper backs
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