Impact of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Behavior Problems on Parenting Stress

The current study sought to further characterize the predictive relationship between child behavior problems and parenting stress in the developmental disability population. Previous studies on parenting stress have explored risk factors for increased parenting stress, but few have examined the role of child characteristics, such as diagnosis, or used complex estimation procedures to characterize the relationship. Structural equation modeling was implemented to conduct analyses on the moderating effects of child age and developmental disability diagnoses as moderators of the behavior problems – parenting stress relationship. A structural model representation of parenting stress was confirmed using four factors: personal, financial, health insurance, and service provider stressors. This model confirmed a significant predictive relationship between behavior problems and parenting stress. Early childhood was found to significantly predict parenting stress above and beyond middle and late childhood. A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability were also significantly more likely to contribute to parenting stress compared to other developmental disability diagnoses, such as developmental delay. These findings support the literature on risk factors for parenting stress in the developmental disability population. Strengths of the study include the use of weighted data and stratified sampling to yield estimates that are representative of the developmental disability population. Limitations and recommendations for further explorations of the behavior problems – parenting stress relationship using longitudinal SEM modeling are discussed.