Factors associated with psychological well-being of parents with children with special needs

The current study examined whether the stress coping methods, social support, and psychological well-being of parents with children with special needs after the COVID-19 pandemic differed according to some sociodemographic characteristics and whether parents' stress coping methods and social support predicted their psychological well-being. A convenient sample of 362 parents participated in the study. The Personal Information Form, Stress Coping Methods Scale, Revised Parental Social Support Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scale were utilized as data collection instruments. Independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the relationship between participants' scores on the scales and their sociodemographic characteristics. Whether parents' psychological well-being was significantly predicted by their stress coping methods and perceived social support was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. The finding showed that fathers' stress-coping methods, perceived social support, and psychological well-being scores were higher than those of mothers, and the psychological well-being, social support, and stress-coping scores of parents with low-income levels were significantly lower than those of parents with medium and high-income levels. In addition, both coping with stress and perceived social support predicted parents' psychological well-being. The findings were discussed and interpreted in light of the relevant literature, and recommendations were made for researchers, educators, counseling practitioners, and policymakers. Keywords: COVID-19, children with special needs, psychological well-being, coping with stress, social support