Comparison of attachment patterns between parents of children with normative development and parents of children with disabilities, the quality of family functioning and social support

Biti roditelj vjerojatno je jedno od najvažnijih i najizazovnijih iskustava i uloga s kojima se čovjek može susresti u životu, a biti roditelj djeteta s teškoćom u razvoju čini se kao još izazovniji zadatak i iskustvo. Odmah nakon rođenja dijete počinje uspostavljati povezanost s roditeljima. Ta veza privrženosti je jedna od najvažnijih i najsnažnijih veza koju čovjek može uspostaviti tijekom svog života. Upravo je privrženost, koju dijete počinje uspostavljati s roditeljima čim se rodi, temelj za sve kasnije veze i odnose s drugim ljudima koje će graditi kroz svoj život. Važno je da veza privrženost s roditeljima bude što kvalitetnija zbog kasnijh odnosa s drugim ljudima. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati obrasce privrženosti, kvalitetu obiteljskog funkcioniranja te razinu socijalne podrške kod roditelja djece s teškoćama u razvoju u odnosu na roditelje djece normativnog razvoja. Istraživanje je provedeno na roditeljima muške djece starosti od 4 i 5 godina. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju da partnerski odnosi roditelja djece s teškoćama u razvoju su obilježeni većim traženjem sigurnosti. Između te dvije skupine roditelja nema razlike u procjenjivanju kvalitete obiteljskog funkcioniranja te roditelji djece s teškoćama u razvoju u manjoj mjeri traže podršku prijatelja.Parenting is probably one of the most important and the most challenging experiences in life and being a parent of a child with disabilities seems to be an even more challenging task. Right upon its birth, a child starts developing a bond with their parents. This attachment is one of the most important and the strongest bonds a person can establish in their entire life. Attachment that a child establishes with its parents is the basis for all its future relationships. Precisely because of its impact to all future relationships, it is important to establish a high quality of their first attachment. The aim of this research was to examine the styles of attachment, the quality of family functioning and the level of social support among parents of children with disabilities in comparison with parents of children with normative development. The research was conducted with parents of male children aged 4-5. The results of the study indicate that the partnership of parents of children with disabilities are characterized by a greater search for safety. There is no difference between the two groups of parents in assessing the quality of family functioning, and parents of children with disabilities are less likely to seek support from friends