This study examined the relationship of the degree of social support available to families with handicapped preschool children to the nature of maternal interactions with the child. Also examined was the relationship of role sharing between a husband and wife to the nature of maternal interactions with handicapped preschool children. / Forty-one rural North Carolina families were randomly selected from a list of active participants in a community-based infant stimulation program for preschool children. The 41 mothers were interviewed using the Psychosocial Kinship Inventory and the Parent Role Scale. Sessions with 34 of the 41 mothers and their children were videotaped during a 15-minute play session. / Findings indicated there were no statistical differences in selected demographic characteristics of mothers who engaged in more positive interactions with their handicapped child when compared to mothers who engaged in less positive interactions with their handicapped child during the 15-minute play session. No differences were found in the degree of social support available to mothers who engaged in less positive interactions with their handicapped child. Also, no differences were found in the role sharing between a husband and wife with mothers who engaged in more positive interactions with their handicapped child and mothers who engaged in less positive interactions. / The results of this study indicate that families with handicapped children have fewer social supports than do families with children not so handicapped. It can be speculated that if families have social support networks too small to provide adequate support, these networks are also too small to have impact on mother-child interactions. Findings indicated that the 41 mothers performed the majority of family roles. The mothers also expressed satisfaction with their family role division, and reported that they interact positively with their handicapped children. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 1089. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75533 |
| Contributors | CAUSBY, VICKIE DIANNE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 158 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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