Exploring the indirect pathways between service involvement, unmet service needs, parental distress, and the maltreatment of children with intellectual disabilities

Objectives This study had two main objectives: 1) to examine the direct associations between the number of services received, unmet service needs, parental stress, and children’s past maltreatment history among families of children with intellectual disabilities (ID); 2) to explore an indirect pathway between services received and unmet service needs of families, parental stress, and children’s history of maltreatment.Methods Using a cross-sectional design, data was collected from 143 parents of children with an ID, including 55 girls and 88 boys aged between 5 to 18 years. Parents completed a demographics questionnaire and measures of disability service use, parental stress, and past maltreatment history of their child.Results Although no direct association was found between service-related variables and child maltreatment history, both the number of services received and unmet service needs were associated with higher parental distress, which in turn was associated with a greater likelihood of a history of maltreatment among children.Conclusions Findings suggest that a focus on the quantity of services received by families is an insufficient preventative target. Aligning services with the needs of children with ID and their parents may be an important consideration to mitigate parental distress and maltreatment risk among children with ID.