Parental Competencies in Mothers of Infants with Disabilities and their Relationship to Adaptive Behavior and Motor Development

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between mothers' parental competencies with the adaptive behavior and motor development of their children with disabilities and to compare parental competencies according to the mother's employment status, the mother's educational level, and family type. The study was empirical following an associative strategy. The sample consisted of 242 biological mothers and their children attending the Early Intervention Program in Lima, Peru, aged between 1 month and 4 years and 9 months. The Positive Parenting Scale (e2p) and the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) were used as measurement instruments. The results show a small positive relationship between global parental competencies and muscle control and attention adaptive behaviors. Linking parental competencies showed a small relationship with motor development and adaptive behavior tasks. On the other hand, parental competencies showed small differences according to the mother's employment status and family type. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed based on the findings obtained.