Abstract:

In contemporary inclusive education, parental stress role manifests itself primarily in the development of high-quality and productive parenting relationships, which form the basis of the successful integration of children into society. High levels of stress in parents of children with disabilities affect not only parenting capacity, but also communication with educational institutions and educational professionals. Negative experiences of parents cause tendencies of resistance towards inclusive education, support policies and therapeutic practices applied towards children with disabilities. Therefore, examining the situations that cause the most stress to parents of children with disabilities appears to be a necessity for creating a better overall inclusive environment. The present study aims to expose the situations and factors that appear to be a prerequisite for the greatest stress in the parents, as well as the characteristics of psychological stress in parents of children with disabilities.

A total of 107 parents (including 52 parents of children with disabilities) aged between 19 and 56 years (mean age 39.5 years) were surveyed with a specially designed questionnaire containing 17 questions of different types. Analysis of the data shows that there are significant differences in parents' fears regarding the independent decisions their children make and their children's competence to cope with various tasks related to everyday life. Parents of children with disabilities are more afraid of their child choosing media content and games either containing violence or inappropriate for their age. Moral development and participation in sports activities are left in the background. In terms of their future, the main difference is found in the much stronger concerns of parents of children with disabilities related to their children's inability to cope with everyday household activities (preparing food, washing, self-care). This fear occupies the first position among parents of children with disabilities, while it is the least pronounced among parents of children in the norm. At the same time, no significant differences were found regarding the factors that parents try to control in order to ensure the well-being of their children, regardless of whether they are with special needs or not. On a positive note, no increased anxiety was found in parents of children with disabilities related to their children's participation in inclusive education.

These outcomes suggest that parents of children with disabilities need additional support to control their children's exposure to age-inappropriate media content. This could be a key issue in the successful inclusion of children with disabilities and their personal development. The data also suggest that the introduction of additional activities related to the acquisition of domestic and self-care skills could help to improve the quality of education and overall development of children with disabilities, reducing their parents' concerns about their future.

Keywords:

Parental stress, children with special educational needs, SEN, inclusive education.