Quality of Life of parents of children with developmental disabilities: A marginalized community in India

Objective: The seasonal discourse surrounding the challenges faced by parents of children with Developmental Disabilities (DD) contributes to their marginalization, with limited exploration of intersectionality based on sociodemographic factors in India. This study aims to investigate differences in stress levels, coping strategies, and quality of life among mothers and fathers of children with DD. Additionally, it seeks to explore the impact of sociodemographic factors on quality of life. Method: A cross sectional study with a sample of 400 parents (193 fathers and 207 mothers) as identified through NGOs (working in the field of disability) across the state of Odisha, India participated in the study. Parents were administered with Parental Stress Scale, Ways of Coping questionnaire and Quality of Life BREF in addition to the sociodemographic information Results: Findings revealed significant differences in stress, coping strategies, and quality of life between mothers and fathers, with mothers consistently reporting higher stress and lower quality of life in all domains. Multiple regression analysis established a link between quality of life, stress, and coping styles, highlighting that positive reappraisal and escape avoidance coping adversely affected physical, psychological, and environmental domains of quality of life. Sociodemographic findings, confirmed by MANOVA and post hoc analysis, indicated evident marginalization, yet the study did not uncover intersectionality. Conclusion: the study advocates for heightened empathy in service delivery to improve the overall quality of life for parents of children with DD, shedding light on the nuanced challenges faced by different demographic groups.