Investigation of perceived stress, social support and self-efficacy of parents with children with special needs

In this study, it was aimed to examine the perceived stress levels, social support levels and parental self-efficacy levels of parents of individuals with special needs. The study was conducted in Edirne province with 289 parents of children with special needs. Relational research model was used in the study. Demographic Information Form, Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale and Parental Self-Efficacy Scale were used as data collection tools. Independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Spearman Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and hybrid regression analysis were used in the study. As a result of the research, the relationship between the stress levels and income level of parents of children with special needs; It has been observed that parents earning below minimum salary are more stressed than those earning above minimum wage, and parents earning minimum wage are more stressed than parents earning above minimum wage.When the birth order was analyzed, it was observed that when the child was born as the third child, the parents experienced more intense stress than the first-born child. It was also observed that parents with children with intellectual disabilities experienced more intense stress than parents with children with autism spectrum disorders, children with cerebral palsy and children with Down syndrome. When the self-efficacy perceptions of the parents and the type of disability of the child were examined, it was determined that parents with children with intellectual disability had lower self-efficacy perceptions than parents with children with autism spectrum disorder, parents with children with cerebral palsy and parents with children with Down Syndrome.It was also observed that the self-efficacy of parents earning above minimum wage was higher than that of parents earning below minimum wage.When the relationship between income and the social support perceived by parents of children with special needs was examined, it was found that the social support perceived by parents earning above minimum wage was higher than that of parents earning below minimum wage. It was found that the perceived social support of parents with children with special needs in nuclear families was higher than that of parents with extended families and parents with broken families. A positive relationship was observed between parental self-efficacy and perception of social support. A negative relationship was observed between stress and parental self-efficacy and perception of social support.