Resilience, self-activation and coping strategies of mothers in the of their children's disability

Aim. The study is focused on studying the manifestations of resilience, self-activation and coping strategies of mothers depending on the type of challenge, assessment of its strength and the presence/absence of disability in their children. Materials and methods. The study involved women (N=271) aged 24 to 55 years, including 156 mothers of healthy children and 115 mothers of children with disabilities. A socio-biographical questionnaire and a package of techniques were used: Self-activation technique (M.A. Odintsova, N.P. Radchikova); Resilience test (E.N. Osin, E.I. Rasskazova); SORET questionnaire (E.I. Rasskazova, T.O. Gordeeva, E.N. Osin). Results and conclusions. The relationship between the social and demographic characteristics of mothers and their assessments of the situation of the call is revealed. Less constructive coping strategies (mental withdrawal from the problem, denial, behavioral care, etc.) are more often used by mothers with a high assessment of the strength of the challenge; positive reformulation, humor and planning are more often used with low assessments of the strength of the challenges, regardless of the presence of disabled children in the family. Mothers raising children with disabilities are characterized by lower rates of physical activation, the level of which is lower with high estimates of the strength of the challenge.

1. Bakaeva I.A., Novokhat'ko E.N., Shevyreva E.G. Zashchitnye mekhanizmy i koping–strategii u detei s DTsP i ikh roditelei [Defense mechanisms and coping strategies in children with cerebral palsy and their parents]. Sibirskii psikhologicheskii zhurnal = Siberian Psychological Journal, 2019, no. 71, pp. 180–196. DOI: 10.17223/17267080/71/10. (In Russ., abstr. in Engl.).
2. Bitiutskaia E.V., Korneev A.A. Sub"ektivnoe otsenivanie trudnoi zhiznennoi situatsii: diagnostika i struktura [Subjective assessment of a difficult life situation: diagnostics and structure]. Voprosy psikhologii = Questions of Psychology. 2021. Vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 145–161.
3. Grishina N.G. Ekzistentsial'nye problemy cheloveka kak zhiznennyi vyzov [Existential problems of an individual as a life challenge]. Vestnik Sankt–Peterburgskogo universiteta = Bulletin of St. Petersburg University, 2011. Vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 109–116.
4. Kuftiak E.V. Zhiznesposobnost' sem'i: teoriia i praktika [Family resilience: theory and practice] [Elektronnyi resurs]. Meditsinskaia psikhologiia v Rossii = Medical psychology in Russia, 2014. Vol. 28, no. 5. URL: http://mprj.ru/archiv_global/2014_5_28/nomer/nomer09.php (Accessed: 04.10.2022).
5. Leont'ev D.A. Lichnostnyi potentsial: struktura i diagnostika [Personal potential: structure and diagnostics]. M.: Smysl. 2011. 675 p.
6. Leont'ev D.A. Aleksandrova L.A. Vyzov invalidnosti: ot problemy k zadache [The Challenge of Disability: From Problem to Task]. Tret'ia Vserossiiskaia nauchno–prakticheskaia konferentsiia po ekzistentsial'noi psikhologii: materialy soobshchenii = Third All–Russian Scientific and Practical Conference on Existential Psychology: materials of messages/ pod red. D.A. Leont'eva. M.: Smysl, 2010. Pp. 114–120.
7. Odintsova M.A., Radchikova N.P. Razrabotka metodiki samoaktivatsii lichnosti [Development of a methodology for personality self–activation]. Psikhologicheskie issledovaniia = Psychological Studies. 2018. Vol. 11, no. 58, 12 p. URL: https://psystudy.ru/index.php/num/article/view/316 (Accessed: 04.10.2022). DOI: 10.54359/ps.v11i58.316
8. Orlova E. A., Gorskina I. N. Osobennosti zhiznestoikosti i koping–strategii u zhenshchin, nakhodiashchikhsia v trudnoi zhiznennoi situatsii (na primere zhenshchin, imeiushchikh detei s OVZ) [Features of resilience and coping strategies in women in difficult life situations (on the example of women with children with disabilities)] [Elektronnyi resurs]. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo oblastnogo universiteta = Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University, 2022. No. 1. URL: https://www.evestnik–mgou.ru/jour/article/view/201 (Accessed: 04.10.2022).
9. Osin E.N., Rasskazova E.I. Kratkaia versiia testa zhiznestoikosti: psikhometricheskie kharakteristiki i primenenie v organizatsionnom kontekste [A short version of the resilience test: psychometric characteristics and application in an organizational context]. Vestnik Mosk. un–ta Ser. 14. Psikhologiia = Bulletin of the Moscow University. Series 14. Psychology, 2013. No. 2, pp. 147–165.
10. Rasskazova E. I. Koping–strategii v strukture deiatel'nosti i samoreguliatsii: psikhometricheskie kharakteristiki i vozmozhnosti primeneniia metodiki Cope / E. I. Rasskazova, T. O. Gordeeva, E. N. Osin [Coping strategies in the structure of activity and self–regulation: psychometric characteristics and possibilities of using the Cope test]. Psikhologiia. Zhurnal Vysshei shkoly ekonomiki = Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics, 2013. Vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 82–118.
11. Sapogova E.E. Psikhologicheskaia pomoshch' vzroslym v liminal'nykh periodakh [Psychological assistance to adults in liminal periods]. Razvitie lichnosti = Development of personality, 2016. No. 2, pp.134–156.
12. Sergienko A.I., Kholmogorova A.B. Posttravmaticheskii rost i koping–strategii roditelei detei s ogranichennymi vozmozhnostiami zdorov'ia [Post–traumatic growth and coping strategies of parents of children with disabilities]. Konsul'tativnaia psikhologiia i psikhoterapiia = Consultative psychology and psychotherapy, 2019. Vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 8–26. DOI: 10.17759/cpp.2019270202
13. Sorokov D.G., Kulikova I.S. Osobennosti priviazannosti, kopinga i zhiznestoikosti materei mladshikh shkol'nikov s RAS: akademicheski i psikhotekhnicheskii podkhody k interpretatsii i podderzhke [Features of attachment, coping and resilience of mothers of primary schoolchildren with ASD: academic and psychotechnical approaches to interpretation and support]. II Mezhdunarodnaia konferentsiia po konsul'ativnoi psikhologr i psikhoterapii, posviashchennaia pamiati F.E.Vasiliuka: sb. materialov = II International Conference on Consultative Psychology and Psychotherapy, dedicated to the memory of F.E. Vasilyuk: coll. materials, 2020. Pp. 234–237.
14. Tashlykova M.B. Vyzov i ugroza: iz estestvennogo iazyka v obshchestvenno–politicheskii diskurs – i obratno [Challenge and threat: from natural language to socio–political discourse – and vice versa]. Transgranichnye vyzovy natsional'nomu gosudarstvu = Cross–border challenges to the national state, SPb.: Intersotsis, 2015. Pp. 81–101.
15. Tokarskaia, L.V., Tenkacheva T.R., Lapteva V.V. Issledovanie zhiznestoikosti roditelei, vospityvaiushchikh detei s tiazhelymi narusheniiami rechi [Study of the Resilience of Parents Raising Children with Severe Speech Disorders]. Pedagogicheskoe obrazovanie v Rossii = Pedagogical Education in Russia, 2021. No. 6,  pp. 80–90. DOI: 10.26170/2079–8717_2021_06_09
16. Shumskaia N.A. Kulikova E.G. Koping–strategii i psikhologicheskie zashchity materei, vospityvaiushchikh detei s tiazhelymi mnozhestvennymi narusheniiami razvitiia [Coping strategies and psychological protection of mothers raising children with severe multiple developmental disorders]. Izvestiia Rossiiskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta im. A.I.Gertsena = Proceedings of the Russian State Pedagogical University. A.I. Herzen, 2021. No. 200, pp.125–134. DOI: 10.33910/1992–6464–2021–200–125–135
17. Alberts H.J.E.M., Schneider F., Martijn C. Dealing efficiently with emotions: Acceptance–based coping with negative emotions requires fewer resources than suppression. Cognition & Emotion, 2012. Vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 863–870. DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2011.625402
18. Asa G.A., Fauk N.K., Ward P.R., Hawke K., Crutzen R., Mwanri L. Psychological, sociocultural and economic coping strategies of mothers or female caregivers of children with a disability in Belu district, Indonesia. PLoS One, 2021. Vol.16, no. 5. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251274
19. Bedewy D. Examining and measuring sources of stress in a sample of caregivers of children with special needs in Egypt: The Perception of Caregivers Stress Scale. Cogent Psychology, 2021. Vol. 8, no. 1. DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2021.1911094
20. Bi X.B., He H.Z., Lin H.Y., Fan X.Z. Influence of Social Support Network and Perceived Social Support on the Subjective Wellbeing of Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 2022. 13. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.835110
21. Bujnowska A.M., Rodríguez C., García T., Areces D., Marsh N.V. Coping with stress in parents of children with developmental disabilities. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 2021. Vol. 21, no.3. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2021.100254
22. Currie G., Szabo J. Social isolation and exclusion: the parents' experience of caring for children with rare neurodevelopmental disorders. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well–being, 2020. Vol.15, no. 1. DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2020.1725362
23. Ejiri K., Matsuzawa A. Factors associated with employment of mothers caring for children with intellectual disabilities. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2019. Vol. 65, no. 4, pр. 239–247. DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2017.1407862
24. Fereidouni Z., Kamyab A.H., Dehghan A., Khiyali, Z., Ziapour A., Mehedi N., Toghroli R. A comparative study on the quality of life and resilience of mothers with disabled and neurotypically developing children in Iran. Heliyon, 2021. Vol.  7, no. 6. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07285
25. Furrukh J., Anjum G. Coping with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Pakistan: A phenomenology of mothers who have children with ASD. Cogent Psychology, 2020. Vol.  7, no. 1. DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2020.1728108
26. Geuze L., Goossensen A., Schrevel S. “Continuously struggling for balance”: The lived experiences of Dutch parents caring for children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 2022. DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2022.2073707
27. Hallberg U. Differences in health and well–being of parents of children with disabilities. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well–being, 2014. Vol.  9, no. 1. DOI: 10.3402/qhw.v9.24343
28. Hallberg U., Klingberg G., Reichenberg K., Möller A. Living at the edge of one's capability: Experiences of parents of teenage daughters diagnosed with ADHD. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well–being, 2008. Vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 52–58. DOI: 10.1080/17482620701705523
29. Hallen R., Jongerling J., Godor B.P. Coping and resilience in adults: a cross–sectional network analysis. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 2020. Vol. 33, no. 5, pр. 479–496. DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2020.1772969
30. Kaniamattam M., Oxley J. Unpacking the varied roles of mothers of children with developmental disabilities in South India. Disability & Society, 2022. Vol.  37, no. 1, pp. 38–62. DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2021.1918540
31. Kurowska A., Kózka M., Majda A. ‘How to cope with stress?’ Determinants of coping s.trategies used by parents raising children with intellectual disabilities, other developmental disorders and typically developing children. A cross–sectional study from Poland. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 2021. Vol.14, no. 1, pp. 23–49. DOI: 10.1080/19315864.2020.1832166
32. Maridal H.K, Bjørgaas H.M, Hagen K., Jonsbu E., Mahat P., Malakar S., Dørheim S. Psychological Distress among Caregivers of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Nepal. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021. Vol.18, no. 5. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052460
33. Mark E.J., Conradie I., Dedding C.W.M., Broerse J.E.W. ‘We create our own small world’: daily realities of mothers of disabled children in a South African urban settlement. Disability & Society, 2019. Vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 95–120. DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2018.1511415
34. Masefield S.C., Prady S.L., Sheldon T.A, Small N., Jarvis S., Pickett K.E. The Caregiver Health Effects of Caring for Young Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Meta–analysis. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2020. Vol. 24, no. 5, pр. 561–574. DOI: 10.1007/s10995–020–02896–5
35. Mbamba C.R., Ndemole I.K. “I Paused My Life”: Experiences of Single Mothers Caring for Their Autistic Children in Ghana. Journal of Social Service Research, 2021. Vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 659–669. DOI: 10.1080/01488376.2021.1875966
36. Miranda A., Mira A., Berenguer C., Rosello B. Baixauli I. Parenting Stress in Mothers of Children With Autism Without Intellectual Disability. Mediation of Behavioral Problems and Coping Strategies. Frontiers in Psychology, 2019. Vol. 10, no. 464. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00464
37. Mohammadi Z., Sadeghian E., Shamsaei F., Eskandari F. Correlation Between the Mental Health and Relationship Patterns of Mothers of Children with an Intellectual Disability. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 2021. DOI: 10.1080/1034912X.2021.1895083
38. Montero–Marin J., Prado–Abril J., Piva Demarzo M.M., Gascon S., García–Campayo J. Coping with Stress and Types of Burnout: Explanatory Power of Different Coping Strategies. PLoS ONE, 2014. Vol. 9, no. 2. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089090
39. Munsell S.E., O’Malley L. The Lived Experiences of Mothers of Children with Disabilities. The New Educator, 2019. Vol. 15, no. 4, pр. 269–280. DOI: 10.1080/1547688X.2019.1601315
40. Nathwani A.A., Lakhdir M.P.A., Hasnani F.B., Peerwani G., Bhura M., Azam S.I., Siddiqui A.R. Factors Associated with Parenting Stress among Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Cross–sectional Study. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 2021. Vol.14, no. 4, pр. 375–387, DOI: 10.1080/19315864.2021.1959688
41. Nazzal M.S., AL–Rawajfah O.M. Lived experiences of Jordanian mothers caring for a child with disability. Disability and Rehabilitation, 2018. Vol. 40, no. 23, pр. 2723–2733. DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2017.1354233]
42. Ortega Y.M., Gomà–i–Freixanet M., Deu A. F. The COPE–48: An adapted version of the COPE inventory for use in clinical settings. Psychiatry Research, 2016. Vol. 246, pр. 808–814. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.10.031
43. Ryan S., Runswick‐Cole K. Repositioning mothers: mothers, disabled children and disability studies. Disability & Society, 2008. Vol. 23, no. 3, pр. 199–210. DOI: 10.1080/09687590801953937
44. Smith M., Blamires J. Mothers' experience of having a child with cerebral palsy. A systematic review. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 2022. Vol. 64, pр. 64–73. DOI:10.1016/j.pedn.2022.01.014
45. Stallman H.M., Beaudequin D., Hermens D.F., Eisenberg D. Modelling the relationship between healthy and unhealthy coping strategies to understand overwhelming distress: A Bayesian network approach. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 2021. Vol. 3. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2020.100054
46. Williams, P.G., Wiebe, D.J., & Smith, T.W. Coping processes as mediators of the relationship between hardiness and health. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2004. Vol. 15, pр. 237–255. DOI: 10.1007/BF00845354