Parents’ attitudes towards children and adolescents with intellectual developmental disorder

The study attempted to explore the attitude of parents towards their mentally retarded children. The sample consisted of 66 parents of childrenwith intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) receiving mental health services from two daycare centers. An attitude questionnaire was completed by parents involved in the care and rehabilitation of the child. The questionnaire comprised of fifty statements of a Likert-type scale and served as the measuring instrument. Questions were designed to provide information on parents’ behavior, perceptions, reactions, values, and feelings. Important themes that emerged from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that the parents, although having love and acceptance towards their children, were also frustrated, disappointed, and highly overprotective. This was a significant deterrent factor in the child’s adaptive functioning and development of his/her independent living skills