Does Respite Care Reduce Parental Stress in Families with Developmentally Disabled Children?

Caring for a developmentally disabled child can be extremely stressful for many parents. Respite care is designed in part to alleviate this stress. This paper reviews studies that have evaluated the effects of respite care services used by families who have children with developmental disabilities,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child & youth care forum 2001-10, Vol.30 (5), p.253-263
Main Authors: Chan, Jeffrey B, Sigafoos, Jeff
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caregiver Burden
Children
Developmental Disabilities
Developmentally disabled children
Handicapped
Parents
Psychological Stress
Respite Care
Stress
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Summary:Caring for a developmentally disabled child can be extremely stressful for many parents. Respite care is designed in part to alleviate this stress. This paper reviews studies that have evaluated the effects of respite care services used by families who have children with developmental disabilities, with an emphasis on parental stress. In general the results of this review suggest that, at least in the short-term, respite care is associated with significant reductions in parental stress for the majority of parents who use it. However, the database on this issue is relatively small and many studies have significant limitations, particularly in their almost exclusive reliance on indirect measures of stress reduction and associated benefits (e.g., increased coping, improved quality of life). Additional research is needed to address these limitations. In the meantime, respite care providers should seek to evaluate the effects on, appropriateness for, and acceptability of its services at the level of the individual family.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1053-1890
1573-3319
DOI:10.1023/A:1014467226528