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What Causes Stress for Mothers of Children with MBD?

Timo A. Virtanen, Department of Education, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland, Address for offprints: Timo Virtanen Department of Education P.O.B. 122 SF-96101 Roi, Finland

Irma K. Moilanen

Child Psychiatric Unit in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Minna M. Ihalainen

Child Psychiatric Unit in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Adapting the paradigm developed by Richard Lazarus, parenting stress and coping were studied among mothers of 6-9-year-old children (n = 42) with different symptoms of Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD) (hyperkinesis, perceptual or motor deficits, learning disabilities or speech disorders) and among mothers of non-disabled children (n = 42) matched for age, sex, social status of the family and marital status. Mothers of children with MBD were found to experience more parenting difficulties and more negative cognitive appraisals of their stakes in parenting than their matched controls. The mothers of children with hyperkinesis and perceptual or motor deficits considered their mastery lower and experienced less positive affects than their matched controls. The mothers of children with speech disorders experienced less positive affects than their matched controls. Mothers of children with both few and several symptoms experienced more parenting difficulties in the child domain than their matched controls. Mothers of children with several symptoms considered their mastery lower and experienced less positive affects; mothers of children with few symptoms appraised their stakes in parenting more negatively than their matched controls. No significant differences were found between mothers of children with MBD with few and several symptoms.

Key Words: stress • mastery • self-esteem • parenting difficulties • cognitive appraisals • coping efforts • adaptational outcomes • mothers of children with MBD and non-disabled children.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 19, No. 1, 47-52 (1991)
DOI: 10.1177/140349489101900109


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