Well-Being of Parents of Children with Disabilities—Does Employment Status Matter?

Abstract

Being a parent of a child with a disability brings with it special burdens, e.g. extraordinary caregiving responsibilities, which can have a negative impact on other areas of life and the well-being of parents in general. The aim of this study is to examine the differences in various aspects of well-being and social support between parents who are employed in addition to having caregiving responsibilities, unemployed parents, and parents who are formal caregivers (they receive financial support to care for their child). The online survey included 165 unemployed parents, 467 employed parents (273 full-time and 194 part-time), and 182 formal caregivers. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) showed that both full-time and part-time employed parents had higher levels of life satisfaction, global health, and social support than unemployed parents, when controlled for the child’s level of disability and the parents’ level of education. Formal caregivers and unemployed parents did not differ significantly in the variables of well-being or social support. Our results suggest that a social measure introduced in Croatia to facilitate parents of children with disabilities to work have a positive impact on parental well-being, and that social support from society for unemployed parents and formal caregivers needs to be improved.