Investigation of the Relationship between Burnout Level and Psychological Resilience in Parents of Children with Down Syndrome

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between burnout level and psychological resilience in parents of children with Down syndrome (DS). This study was conducted at a Special Education and Rehabilitation Center in Türkiye between August and October 2022. The sample of the correlational and cross-sectional study consisted of 80 parents of children with DS. In this study, descriptive characteristics form (DFC), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and brief resilience scale (BRS) were used to collect data. The parents' mean scores on the emotional exhaustion subscale (EES) and personal achievement subscale (PAS) of MBI according to descriptive characteristics revealed statistically significant difference in the EES and PAS scores associated with the parents' age, gender, education status, working status, number of children in the family, and family type (p < 0.05). The parents' mean scores on the BRS according to descriptive characteristics revealed statistically significant difference in BRS scores associated with the gender, educational status, working status, number of children, type of family, and presence of a chronic disease in the child (p < 0.05). There was a strong negative correlation between the EES and the BRS (r = −0.740, p < 0.05), and a strong positive correlation between the PAS and the BRS (r = 0.758, p < 0.05). It was determined that parents' emotional exhaustion levels increased as their psychological resilience levels decreased, and parents' personal accomplishment increased as their psychological resilience levels increased.

Keywords

Down syndrome - burnout - resilience - parents

Authors' Contributions

T.Y.U. and G.B.D. designed the study and prepared the manuscript. T.Y.U. analyzed the data. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Publication History

Received: 12 September 2023

Accepted: 27 March 2024

Article published online:
24 April 2024

• References

• 1 Demir GÜ, Ertuğrul İ, Kiper PÖŞ. et al. The mean maternal age and the prevalence of congenital heart diseases in Down syndrome. Çocuk Sagligi Hastalik Derg 2019; 62: 51-55
• 2 What is Down Syndrome? (August 2022). https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/downsyndrome.html
• 3 Sobrinho JG, Golçalvez MJR, Soutinho MEP. Atenção à criança e ao adolescente com síndrome de Down. Santoro JR, organizador. Ecologia e desenvolvimento humano. São Paulo (SP): FUNPEC; 2008: 985-993
• 4 Heiman T, Berger O. Parents of children with Asperger syndrome or with learning disabilities: family environment and social support. Res Dev Disabil 2008; 29 (04) 289-300
• 5 Affonso DD, Hurst I, Mayberry LJ, Haller L, Yost K, Lynch ME. Stressors reported by mothers of hospitalized premature infants. Neonatal Netw 1992; 11 (06) 63-70
• 6 Plumb JC. The impact of social support and family resilience on parental stress in families with a child diagnosed with an Autism spectrum disorder (dissertation). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; 2011
• 7 Cantwell J, Muldoon O, Gallagher S. The influence of self-esteem and social support on the relationship between stigma and depressive symptomology in parents caring for children with intellectual disabilities. J Intellect Disabil Res 2015; 59 (10) 948-957 DOI: 10.1111/jir.12205.
• 8 Çandır G. The analysis of the relationship between depression, anxiety, stress and coping attitudes in the mothers who have children with Autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome between the ages of 4 - 24 (Master's thesis, İstanbul Arel Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü), 2015
• 9 Choi EK, Yoo IY. Resilience in families of children with Down syndrome in Korea. Int J Nurs Pract 2015; 21 (05) 532-541
• 10 Takataya K, Yamazaki Y, Mizuno E. Perceptions and feelings of fathers of children with Down syndrome. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 2016; 30 (05) 544-551
• 11 Duygun T, Sezgin N. The effects of stress symptoms, coping styles and perceived social support on burnout level of mentally handicapped and healthy children's mothers. Turk J Psychol 2003; 18 (52) 37-52
• 12 Patty N, Van Meeteren K, Willemen A, Schuengel C. Understanding burnout among parents of children with complex care needs: A scoping review informed by a stakeholder consultation. PsyArXiv 2022 https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/a5kzq
• 13 Black R, Dorstyn D. A biopsychosocial model of resilience for multiple sclerosis. J Health Psychol 2015; 20 (11) 1434-1444 DOI: 10.1177/1359105313512879.
• 14 Pastor-Cerezuela G, Fernández-Andrés MI, Pérez-Molina D, Tijeras-Iborra A. Parental stress and resilience in Autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome. J Fam Issues 2021; 42 (01) 3-26
• 15 Maslach C, Jackson SE. Maslach Burnout Inventory manual. Second edition. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1986
• 16 Ergin C. Doktor ve hemsirelerde tukenmislik ve Maslach tukenmislik olceginin uyarlanmasi. VII. Ulusal Psikoloji Kongresi, 22th September 1992 Ankara (Turkey) (1992)
• 17 Smith BW, Dalen J, Wiggins K, Tooley E, Christopher P, Bernard J. The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back. Int J Behav Med 2008; 15 (03) 194-200
• 18 Doğan T. Adaptation of the Brief Resilience scale into Turkish: A validity and reliability study. JHWB 2015; 3: 93-102
• 19 Çengelci B. A comperisen of level of anxiety, hopelessness and burnout syndrome of mothers who have children with diagnosis of Audism or Down syndrome. Ege J Educ 2009; 10 (02) 1-23
• 20 Jones L, Hastings RP, Totsika V, Keane L, Rhule N. Child behavior problems and parental well-being in families of children with autism: the mediating role of mindfulness and acceptance. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 2014; 119 (02) 171-185
• 21 Duran S, Barlas GÜ. Determination of subjective well being, self compassion and burnout levels of the parents with mentally disabled children. Mersin Univ Saglik Bilim Derg 2015; 7 (03) 69-79
• 22 Barnett WS, Boyce GC. Effects of children with Down syndrome on parents' activities. Am J Ment Retard 1995; 100 (02) 115-127
• 23 Onyedibe MCC, Ugwu LI, Mefoh PC, Onuiri C. Parents of children with Down syndrome: Do resilience and social support matter to their experience of carer stress?. J Psychol Afr 2018; 28 (02) 94-99
• 24 Bildirici F. Relationship between family burden and resilience of families of children with special education needs (Master's thesis, Haliç Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü), 2014
• 25 Kavaliotis P. Resilience of parents with a child with Autism spectrum disorders and factors for its potential enhancement: Family income and educational level. J Educ Develop Psychol 2017; 7: 188-194
• 26 Hassanzadeh F, Hojjati H. The relationship between resilience and care burden among parents of students with Intellectual disability in Golestan Province, Iran, in 2016. JRRS 2016; 12 (05) 252-258 DOI: 10.22122/JRRS.V12I5.2752.
• 27 Temel M. A research on burnout and psychological resilience of the families with disabled children and families with unimpeded children (Master's thesis, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü), 2015
• 28 Seltzer MM, Floyd F, Song J, Greenberg J, Hong J. Midlife and aging parents of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: impacts of lifelong parenting. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 2011; 116 (06) 479-499
• 29 Açar F. Analyzing asychological durability and burnout level of mothers who have Autistic child (Master's thesis, İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü), 2018
• 30 Aydın A. The relation between psychological resilience with meaning in life a and self perception of parents of children with special needs. Trakya Journal of Education 2019; 9 (03) 487-505 DOI: 10.24315/tred.461320.