The perceived impact of family stress and stress coping ability on the attachment styles of parents with spina bifida diseased children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the stress levels of parents of children with spina bifida, to determine the levels of stress coping and to examine the effects of these variables on attachment styles of parents. The sample of this study is the families of the patients with Spina Bifida who are treated and accepted to participate in the research at the Spina Bifida Center of Florence Nightingale Hospital Research and Application Center of Çağlayan between 10 March 2015 and 10 March 2017. The scales were applied to a total of 74 individuals, 23 test items were handled and 51 test results were analyzed. Apart from the socio-demographic information form prepared by the researcher, The Questionnaire on Resource and Stress - FT (QRS-FT), Coping Styles Inventory (CSI) and Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) were used. The obtained data were analyzed by independent sample t-test analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that postnatal mothers had a significant relationship with anxious attachment. Mothers who were diagnosed during pregnancy were found to have a significant relationship with the optimistic approach. Finally, the findings of the study showed that parents with no history of special education center had a significant relationship with pessimism and social support search approaches, and fathers had a significant relationship with anxious attachment. A significant relationship was found in favor of having boys when they were self-confident. However, there was also a significant difference between mother have daughter. This study was conducted as a master's thesis and the results were discussed accordingly, focusing on perceived family stress and the ability to cope with stress by interacting with the attachment styles of the family. Keywords Spina Bifida, Family Stress, Coping with Stress, Attachment Styles