A comparative analysis of parental stress related to having children with and without disabilities : a thesis submitted to the Department of Elementary Education in fulfillment of the requirements for departmental honors in elementary education : [an honors thesis (HONRS 499)]

The purpose of this study was a comparative analysis of parental stress related to having children with and without disabilities.The Parental Stress Index survey was used to determine the levels of stress in parents with children with and without disabilities. The survey considers child Characteristics, Mother Characteristics, and Life Stress events. The survey has 120 questions with the last 19 being optional.These surveys were distributed to two schools in the Midwest. One was an NAEYC Accredited Early Childhood program. The other was an Early Childhood Special Education program located within an elementary school. Both facilities served children from 3 to 5 years of age in a center-based curriculum.