Stress and Marital Satisfaction of Parents with Children with Disabilities in Hong Kong

Yuen Wing Ki, Chan Chung Yan Joanne

1Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China 2The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2014.55045                

Abstract

This study examined the associations among sources of parenting stress, sharing of child care responsibilities, and marital satisfaction of parents with children with disabilities in Hong Kong. This is a cross-sectional quantitative study. Seventy-two parents completed a survey about their sources of parenting stress, sharing of child care responsibilities and marital satisfaction. Results indicated that handling their children’s emotions and behaviours was the most stressful experience. Linear regression analysis showed that the amount of sharing of child care responsibilities and the stress of time allocation were significant predictors for marital satisfaction. Implications for providing support to parents with children with disabilities in Hong Kong were discussed.

Keywords

Children with Disabilities, Marital Satisfaction, Parenting, Stress

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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