This mixed methods study focused on how parents and primary caregivers perceive their family quality of life (FQOL) while a family member with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) transitions from adolescence to adulthood. A modified version of the Family Quality of Life Survey-2006 Short Version: Main caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I. Brown et al., 2006) queried families’ perceptions and experience of their greatest strengths and supports, as well as their greatest needs and challenges in maintaining their family quality of life through this period of transition. In-depth individual interviews were conducted to further investigate the survey results and showed that participants struggled with a lack of support from others who did not share the experience of having an IDD family member while at the same time, they noted the high value they attribute to the support they receive from other families within the disability community who also have family members with IDD. Participants also noted the lack of support they receive from disability services and expressed the importance of finding opportunities for fulfilling their own needs, as well as the needs of other family members. These opportunities are reported as being essential to enhancing a variety of life domains, suggesting the need for more support in areas of family centred development. The implications drawn from these findings contribute to the discussion of changing how we view the domain support from others and how we can provide families with more opportunities to pursue areas of their own interest either individually or as a family unit in order to improve and enhance their FQOL as their family member with IDD transitions into adulthood. / Graduate / 2018-12-01

No description available.

Family quality of life (FQOL) refers to the degree to which families of individuals with disabilities are able to meet their basic needs, enjoy time together, and pursue leisure interests and activities (Park et al., 2003). Researchers have identified barriers that families of individuals with disabilities encounter as they pursue a life of quality including elevated parental stress (Hauser-Cram, Warfield, Shonkoff, & Kraus, 2001), low socioeconomic status (SES) (Park, Turnbull, & Turnbull, 2002) and inadequate social service support (Soresi, Nota, & Ferrari, 2007). This study utilized data collected from a sample of parents (N = 389) of children receiving special education services from preschool through fifth grade to determine parental stress levels, satisfaction with social service supports and FQOL. Instruments included a demographic questionnaire, Parental Stress Scale (PSS; Berry & Jones, 1995), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8; Larsen, Attkisson, Hargreaves, & Nguyen, 1979) and Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOLS; Turnbull et al., 2004). A MANCOVA analysis failed to reflect significant differences between parental stress levels and FQOL based on child disability type. Point biserial correlations did not reveal significant relationships between children’s free or reduced lunch (FRL) status, parental stress, satisfaction with social services, and FQOL. Initial linear regression analysis indicated that parental stress was a significant predictor of FQOL (p < .001) while satisfaction with social services approached significance (p = .057). However, a subsequent linear regression analysis that included the interaction between satisfaction with social services and parental stress failed to support a moderation effect between satisfaction with social services and parental stress in the prediction of FQOL (p = .142). The examination of parental stress and FQOL within a school-based setting was a unique contribution to the literature that focuses primarily on FQOL and families of children with disabilities within clinical, medical and mental health settings. Limitations of this study, future research directions, and implications for school-based mental health providers are presented.

Researchers have examined sources of support as well as family quality of life of parents raising children with disabilities (Brown, MacAdam-Crisp, Wang, & Iarocci, 2006; Darling & Gallagher, 2004; Davis & Gavidia-Payne, 2009; Zuna, Turnbull, & Summers, 2009). Scant research on grandparents raising grandchildren with disabilities has been conducted; an examination of sources of support and family quality of life of grandparents raising grandchildren is lacking in the literature. This study examined the sources of support and quality of life of 50 grandmother-headed families. Comparative analyses revealed that there were significant differences between grandmothers raising grandchildren with and without disabilities in regard to sources of support and family quality of life. Informal support was significantly higher for grandmothers raising grandchildren without disabilities. In addition, grandmothers raising grandchildren without disabilities rated satisfaction with all aspects of family quality of life except parenting as significantly higher than grandmothers raising grandchildren with disabilities. Correlational analyses showed a moderate correlation between sources of support and family quality of life for both groups of grandmothers. While total informal social support was significantly correlated with satisfaction ratings of family quality of life for both groups of grandmothers, total formal support was significantly correlated with satisfaction ratings of family quality of life only for grandmothers raising grandchildren with disabilities. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that there was a significant relationship between presence ofchild disability and satisfaction ratings of family quality of life. No significant relationship was found between presence of child disability and sources of support.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1994. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1994. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

No description available.

Mothers of children with autism have a higher rate of stress than mothers of neurotypical children and mothers of children with other disabilities. This impacts their family quality of life. This study aimed to show that by teaching mothers trauma-informed mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques they were able to switch their perspectives and feel that they had increased the relationships with their child with autism and increased the rating they give their family quality of life. The participants were recruited using word of mouth and through distribution of posters to autism communities following approval of the experiment through the institutional review board (IRB). The participants selected were mothers of children with autism. They interacted with the researcher through Zoom. They completed multiple measures to assess their levels of stress, well-being, mindfulness, and family quality of life. Measures included daily stress self-report, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory-14 (FMI-14), Beach Center Family Quality of Life (FQOL), and a semi-structured interview. This was a multiple baseline study. Data analysis included visual analysis and changepoint analysis. Mothers of children with autism who utilized mindfulness, defusion, and trauma-informed problem-solving resulted in consistently decreasing levels of stress throughout the intervention. Family quality of life increased, especially in the areas of financial well-being and parenting. The mothers reported the most benefit in the practice of defusion and the least benefit from trauma-informed problem-solving. The research done in this experiment merits further study, especially in the areas of mindfulness and defusion. A larger sample size should be used to identify the benefits more closely from each phase and to identify the impact of a less homogeneous group of people. It can then be generalized to other parents of children with special needs.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2007. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.