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Examples Of Related Strategies For Coping Children

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2.11. Coping Strategies of Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities
Even though families of children with disabilities may really experience different stresses, in comparison to families of typical children, many are able to work well and handle their lives successfully (Scorgie, Wilgosh, and McDonald, 1996). It is not then so much the existence of stressful situations as it is the way in which families cope with the stress (Stainton and Besser, 1998). Coping is defined by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) as the mechanisms that one employ to handle causal factors of stressful events. The personal meaning that one makes of an events has a major weight on their coping strategies (Lazarus and Folkman 1984), and that personal meaning is usually …show more content…

Daniels (1999) reported three major types of coping styles: problem-focused, emotion-focused, and appraisal or perception-focused coping. Problem-focused coping mechanisms attempted to minimize stress by changing the situation, emotion-focused coping trys to lessen the emotional dstress as a result of the situation, and perception-focused coping attempts to change the individuals’ appraisals of the situation. McGill Smith (2003) also identified different strategies parents employed when they learned that their child has developmental delay. Look for the support of another caregivers (talk with your friend, family members and significant others), trust on positive resources in your life, take one day at a time, learn the vocabulary, search for information, do not be guilty, do not be scared to demonstrate emotion, learn to deal with natural feelings of bitterness and anger, uphold a positive viewpoint, keep in touch with reality, remember that time is on your side, find programs for the child, take care of yourself, decide how to deal with others, keep daily routines as normal as possible, remember that this is your child, recognize that you are not …show more content…

Appraisal focused coping-seeking information about the diagnosis and source of service available to understand the nature, causes and the treatment of their child’s disability. Problem focused coping-facilitating the development of their child with disability, emotion focused coping-seeking emotional support for their stress because of disability, meeting other members of exceptional families (parent groups to cope up with their stress) and rehabilitation counseling. Judge (1998) noted in her study that 58% of the coping strategies used by parents were problem-oriented while 42% of the possible coping strategies were emotion-oriented.
Beliefs in God and spirituality, support sought through prayers, Hopes and beliefs for the future and all relate to the child making progress (changing or getting better) were identified as coping mechanisms for parents of children with intellectual disability (McNally, & Mannan, 2013). Similarly study conducted in Ethiopia by Cherinet (2007) also identifies self-blame, trying to stop worries and concerns, relying on faith, and searching for treatment and information as coping mechanisms employed by parents of children with intellectual

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