Psychological stresses among parents of mentally handicapped students (A field study in Al-Bayda city)

Abstract

The current study aims to identify the psychological stresses among parents of mentally handicapped students, and their relation with the following variables: kind of parents (mothers & fathers), educational level (intermediate / university / high education), and the date of joining to the mental abilities centre. The sample was chosen by the available sample method, and the exploratory sample consisted of (15) fathers and mothers of children enrolled in the social care home in Al-Bayda City, while the basic sample consisted of (33) children enrolled in the care home. Two forms were applied to each child, the first form by the mother, and the second form by the father to find out the degree of pressure they have. The Psycho-logical Stress Scale was used with the families of the disabled, prepared by Al-Sartawi and Al-shahes  (1998). The results showed a high degree of psychological stress among parents of mentally handicapped students, and there were no statistically significant differences in psychological stress according to educational level (average/university / high), while there were statistically significant differences in psychological stress of parents of mentally disabled students according to the date of Join the center.