Quality of Life among Parents of Mentally Challenged Children

Background: A child born into family is usually received with joy and considered a blessing but when the child is handicapped and blessing is clearly mixed. Acceptance of child with mental handicap becomes difficult to parents and the whole family particularly when competence and achievement are very much valued in modern world. A parent shows a series of reactions after knowing that their child is disabled. These include shock, denial, guilt, sorrow, rejection and acceptance. Questions like ‘why me?’ ‘How can it be?’ keep arising without answers. This study was based on quality of life among parents of children with mentally challenged and it was gender based study. Aim: To study the gender differences in term of Quality of Life among parents of mentally challenged children. Methods and Material: It was cross sectional study conducted at RINPAS, Samples were recruited through purposive sampling technique. Semi-structured interview schedule was developing to assess the demographics profile and Quality of life scales were administered on parents of children with mentally challenged. Results: Finding of this study showed that parents of male children have good Quality of Life in comparison to the parents of female children.