Personalità, Stress e Supporto Sociale dei genitori di persone diversamente abili

Summary The literature suggests that, under the stress related to caregiving demands, disabled children’s parents manage to produce several coping strategies. Reasearch also demonstrates that social support, neuroticism and extroversion affect caregivers’ stress levels. Objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between (1) parental stress and parental personality traits (2) parental awareness of children disability and social support network. Gender differences and socio anagraphical data were examined and correlated with the above stated variables. A group of 90 partecipants completed a battery of tests including a survey sheet, a scale of autonomy in daily life, the Eysenk Personality Inventory, the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress for disabled children’s parents, the Social Provision Scale. Results showed (1) the negative correlation between parental stress and child’s autonomy level (2) the stress moderator role of social support, neuroticism and extroversion.