NIT-Rourkela researchers delve into support systems for parents of challenged children

A two-member research team of the National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Rourkela Research has delved into a hitherto uncharted territory in parenting and underscored the need for support systems for parents of children with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Ramakrishna Biswal, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, along with his senior research scholar Abhijit Pathak, have reviewed how parenting a child with developmental disabilities impacts the well-being of the parents, which has found place in the prestigious Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development.

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Researchers surveyed 400 parents of children with conditions like autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy, and multiple disabilities. By using culturally adapted tools and advanced statistical techniques, the NIT Rourkela team found that a parent’s physical health plays a key role in shaping how stress impacts their body, mood, and relationships.

It looked into how the continuous demands of caregiving impact a parent’s physical health, ultimately affecting their overall quality of life.

Raising a child with developmental disabilities presents unique and often lifelong challenges. This results in deep emotional exhaustion and physical symptoms such as headaches, ulcers, chronic pain, and fatigue, particularly among mothers.

“Disability rights are rightly acknowledged, yet the invaluable contributions of caregivers often remain in the shadows. Caring for such children should not rest solely on parents, it is a shared responsibility of family, neighbors, and society. Let us recognize their rights and ensure they, too, enjoy a life of dignity and fulfillment. The study speaks about the stress arising out of physical, mental and financial stress”, Dr. Biswal said, highlighting the key findings of the study.

In India, these challenges are often intensified by social stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to specialized care. The researchers used the biopsychosocial model, which considers health to be shared by the complex interaction between physical, psychological, and social forces and helped the researchers to interrelate effects of stress and how physical health operates both due to stress and as a factor that deepens its impact.

The researchers recommended integrating caregiver health screening and stress management into pediatric disability services along with community-based “one-stop” support centres where families can access medical, mental health, and financial support in one place.