Stigma in the Social Life among Mothers Having Children with Intellectual Disabilities: Challenges and Suggestions

This study examined the role of severity of children’s intellectual disability and perceived stigma in restriction in social life among the parents of such children .The correlational research design was used for this purpose. The sample for the study consisted of fifty one mother having intellectually disabled children of varying degree, aged between 3 to 15 years. The participants were sampled from different rehabilitation centers and special schools at Varanasi. They were administered Personal Care Assessment Form, Perceived Stigma Scale and Restriction of Social Life Scale. Correlation analysis was applied to see the relationship which revealed that the child’s activity limitation is significantly positively associated with stigma and restriction in social life. Stigma was also significantly positively associated with restricted social life. This paper highlights the growing need for interventions that include both behavioral and psychosocial components to better address needs of families of children with intellectual disability. It is concluded that there exists a need for future research on culturally sensitive parent training as well as on potentially efficient group-based parent education programs for families of children with moderate to profound intellectual disability.