Abstract |
The present study investigated the influence that a child with special educational needs has
in relation to his/her parents. The aim was to study the quality of communication of parents of
children with and without special needs, the marital satisfaction of those parents, as well as the
sexual interaction of parents of children with and without special needs. Additionally, the aim
was to assess the self-concept of parents of a child with and without special needs, the social
network of a couple who have a child with and without special needs. Finally, this research
recorded the family needs of parents who have a child with special needs and studied the level of
life satisfaction of the parents who have a child with and without special needs.
The participants of the research were parents who have a child with special needs. In order
to be able to do comparative tests of attitudes of the target population, compared to the general
population, a control group was selected, which consisted of parents who have a child without
special needs. Consequently, the final sample consisted of two groups of the above populations.
The sample consisted of 327 parents. The parents had 167 children with special needs, while the
remaining 160 parents constituted the control group.
The findings of this research are of particular interest, especially regarding the marital
satisfaction of parents who have a child with special needs. Specifically, two dimensions of
marital satisfaction were assessed: quality of communication with the partner and marital
satisfaction. Parents who have children with special needs reported lower quality communication
with their partner, compared with parents in the control group. On the other hand, having a child
with special needs was not found to affect how satisfied they feel with their marital relationship.
The analysis of the responses of the participants indicated that parents with a child with special
needs have higher levels of overall negative interaction, compared to parents in the control
group. Furthermore, it was found that parents with a child with special needs have higher levels
of overall unpleasant sexual interaction, compared to parents in the control group. Regarding the
differences in self-concept, it was found that parents who have a child with special needs have
lower levels of overall self-concept, compared to parents in the control group. Parents who have
a child with special needs have a rather more limited social network than parents in the control
group. In general, parents who have a child with special needs have relatively high levels of
family needs. Specifically, the family needs of parents with a child with special needs do not
differ regarding the characteristics of parent-families and the children's characteristics. Parents
who have children with special needs stated that they had less life satisfaction, compared with
parents in the control group.
The findings of this research can be used in order to design and implement effective
intervention programs, which they aim at improving the quality of life of children with special
needs, their parents, other family members (such as: siblings, grandfathers - grandmothers) and
the wider social network.
Key-words: Children with special educational needs, parents of children with special
educational needs, quality of communication, marital satisfaction, sexual interaction, selfconcept,
social interaction, life satisfaction.
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