Examining the levels of loneliness, perceived social support, and parental self-efficacy among parents of children with special needs

This study aimed to examine the levels of loneliness, perceived social support, and parental self-efficacy among parents of children with special needs, along with their interrelations and associations with sociodemographic factors. The study was conducted with parents of students attending a special education and rehabilitation center. The UCLA Loneliness Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Parental Self-Efficacy Scale, and Personal Information Form were administered. T-tests were used to test differences between independent groups, ANOVA for unrelated multiple groups, and Pearson correlation coefficient to assess relationships between scales. The results indicated that mothers showed a higher perceived social support compared to fathers. Younger parents exhibited higher self-efficacy, lower levels of loneliness, and higher perceived social support. Analysis based on marital status revealed that married individuals perceived higher social support compared to unmarried ones. Moreover, parents with a university education demonstrated higher parental self-efficacy levels than those with primary education. Overall, education level was inversely proportional to feelings of loneliness and directly proportional to perceived social support. Non-working parents reported higher levels of loneliness compared to working ones, and as income levels decreased, feelings of loneliness increased. Presence of another individual with special needs in the family was associated with increased perceived social support. Parental loneliness decreased when they were caregivers for others. If the child with special needs was male, parents experienced increased loneliness and decreased perceived social support. Parental self-efficacy decreased with the child's age, and a weak negative relationship was found between parental self-efficacy and loneliness, while a weak positive relationship was observed between parental self-efficacy and perceived social support. A moderate negative relationship was noted between parental loneliness and perceived social support levels. The results highlight the complex relationships among social support, self-efficacy, and loneliness levels of parents with children with special needs, underscoring the importance of understanding the challenges faced by these parents and developing interventions at both individual and social levels to provide support.