---

Presenter: Caroline Pare

Faculty Sponsor: Ashley Woodman

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

Session: Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, 163, C29

ABSTRACT

The structure of a family plays an important role in shaping the experiences and well-being of parents. Previous research has shown that single mothers, for example, reported experiencing higher rates of poor physical and mental health, social isolation, and alienation than other parents. However, when it comes to raising children with disabilities, there is an even greater lack of resources and lack of support in general for non-two-parent families. Current literature on caregiving experiences of parents with children with disabilities often does not include family structure as a factor in the research, and the research that does exist is limited. The present literature review will analyze and synthesize the existing literature to determine how family structure influences the caregiving experiences of parents raising children with disabilities. The methods of this systematic literature review will involve searching databases of peer-reviewed articles with specific key terms related to disabilities and types of family structures. The articles will be coded for basic information (e.g., year of publication) and themes that relate to parental experiences (e.g. “stress”). Through this systematic literature review, the paper will assess current findings and draw conclusions on how family structure shapes the experiences of these caregivers. Anticipated findings are that parents in non-two-parent families raising children with disabilities experience higher levels of stress than other parents. Ultimately, the findings from this research will highlight an under-recognized social need among families caring for children with disabilities, which can help focus and guide advocacy efforts.