Stress and Coping among Parents of Children with Intellectual Developmental Disorders in Kashmir: A Cross-sectional Study

A BSTRACT Background: Prior research has shown that parents of children with developmental delay experience greater care giving demands and report higher levels of stress. This study explores the level of stress and coping strategies among parents of children with intellectual developmental disorders (IDDs) in Kashmir, India. Methods: Using cross-sectional design, 40 parents of children with IDDs voluntarily participated in the selected rehabilitation center of Kashmir. Perceived Stress Scale-10 and Brief-COPE scale were used to assess stress and coping behavior of parents via Questionnaire technique. Ethical permission for the study, institutional permission for data collection, and author permission for using tools were obtained. The data were entered into MS Excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS software version 26 in consultation with a biostatistician. Results: A total 24 (60%) participants had severe stress, whereas the remaining 16 (40%) parents had moderate stress. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were found to be superior adaptive in 16 (40%) participants. No significant correlation was found between the level of stress and coping behavior, and no association was revealed between participants’ stress or coping with their sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusions: The present study shows that all the participants had severe-to-moderate level of stress. The superior problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping were only in <50% of participants. There was no correlation between level of stress and coping behavior of parents; furthermore, no association was revealed between participants’ stress or coping with their sociodemographic characteristics.