Pandemic’ effects: perception of stress and support in families with children with atypical development

• Autor(a) principal: Soares de Oliveira Souza , Beatriz
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Rocha de Almeida, Bruna, Mendes Graner, Karen
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista de Psicologia (Fortaleza. Online)
• Texto Completo: http://www.periodicos.ufc.br/psicologiaufc/article/view/81402
• topic: COVID-19; Atypical development; Parental stress; Social support; COVID-19; Desenvolvimento atípico; Estresse parental; Suporte social

The COVID-19 pandemic required protect actions with quarantine and social distancing, which had an impact on families’ lifestyle. The impacts of the pandemic may have been even more intense in families of children with disabilities or pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) who need specific care. This study aims to analyze the impact of the social distancing situation on the perception of stress, parental stress and perceived social support by mothers and fathers of children with disabilities/PDD with 11 years old or more, and associations between these variables. This is a cross-sectional study with 37 participants in two independent phases. The following self-administered instruments were available in a Google Form: Sociodemographic Questionnaire; Questionnaire on the perception of the influence of social distancing resulting from the pandemic on family dynamics; Perceived Stress Scale; Parental Stress Scale and Social Support Scale. There was a significatively higher stress perception between mothers in Phase 2 (P2>P1) and higher stress among families with more than one child. Most mothers referred social support, an increase in the stress perception with children care and stress comparing the phases. This study demonstrated the importance of social support to parents’ adaptation in stress increasing related to pandemic situation.