The Influence of Respite Care on Psychological Distress in Parents of Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Longitudinal Study

In this study, we longitudinally examined the influence of a brief (3-7 day) respite care admission on psychological distress and parenting stress in parents of children admitted to a center for developmental disabilities. A comparison group of parents of children who were admitted for short-term (30-day) inpatient treatment was utilized. Parents (N = 80) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993a) and the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1990) at time of admission, discharge, and at 6-month follow-up. Therapists completed measures of functional ability at admission and discharge. Analyses indicate that psychological distress was significantly lower at discharge and 6-month follow-up for both groups. Parenting stress was significantly lower at discharge, but at 6-month follow-up had returned to admission levels. Notably, both groups demonstrated improved functional ability from admission to discharge despite the respite care group receiving little formal therapy over a much shorter stay in the center. Respite care appears to result in reductions in psychological distress in parents of children with developmental disabilities; such reductions are comparable to that of a longer term stay. It is important to note that these improvements in functioning are maintained over time.