Stress, Support, and Deafness

Abstract

Data on parenting stress, life stress, and social support were collected from 20 mothers and 16 fathers whose infants' hearing impairments were diagnosed uery early (mean age = 2.8 months) and from comparable parents whose infants are hearing (HI group). Parenting stress of mothers and fathers whose infants are deaf (Dl group) was no greater than that of HI parents and comparable to norms for the Parenting Stress Index. Social support was associated with lower levels of parenting stress for Dl mothers and fathers, but not for HI parents. These results help to confirm the importance of early diagnosis and intewention for parents as well as for their children, suggesting that high levels of parenting stress do not inevitably accompany the diagnosis of disability, that fathers report levels of parenting stress similar to those of mothers, and that both fathers and mothers can benefit from social support.