engleski

PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES's PERCEPTION OF SUPPORT AND BELIEFS ABOUT SEEKING FOR PROFESSIONAL HELP

Aims of this study were (i) to determine perception of frequency and satisfaction of emotional and moral support as well as the assessment of social support among parents of children with disabilities and (ii) to find out the contributions of those focus variables, among with demographic features, of their beliefs about seeking for professional help. Total of 102 parents were contacted through 8 organizations that offer services of intervention and advisory help in Rijeka and Vinkovci (35%) with their villages (M=41 years ; 71, 6% of mothers). The average age of the children was 7, 5 years (3 to 15 ; 60, 8% of boys). Data was collected by the scale of frequency and satisfaction of emotional and moral support, the scale of assessment of social support and scale of beliefs in seeking professional help in pareting (trust, distrust and discomfort against the experts). Parents are the most satisfied with the emotional and moral support obtained from their own parents and brothers/sisters so they estimated that support as the most common. Satisfaction with emotional and moral support obtained from experts and wider social circle is estimated higher than the frequency of such support. Parents perceived more social support by the inner circle of family than support by friends and colleagues from work. As children age is higher, parents become more satisfied with the emotional and moral support obtained from their own parents and brothers/sisters. The frequency and satisfaction of moral and emotional support obtained from their own parents and brothers/sisters is perceptible more in the villages than in the cities. Confidence that parents feel in the experts can be predicted by higher age of parents and greater perceived social support of friends and colleagues at work. Distrust to experts can be predicted by lower frequency and satisfaction with emotional and moral support from experts as well as their own parents and brothers/sisters, lower perceived social support from family and having a male child. Discomfort to the experts, in the observed area of predictors, can be predicted only by living in Vinkovci or living in the villages. The results confirm previous findings and suggest: (i) ensurement of mobile teams to villages, (ii) educating employers about importance of giving support to parents, (iii) to make professional help more available to reduce distrust and discomfort according to experts, (iv) strenghthening social networks and supporting whole family.

confidence in experts, early intervention, support to parents, parents of children with disabilities, professional help in villages

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