Stress and coping mechanisms of parents of children with down syndrome

This paper looks into the extent of physical, financial, emotional and marital stress experienced by mothers of children with down syndrome. This also looks into the coping mechanisms these parents use and the coping mechanisms they perceive to be most effective. A descriptive-survey method was employed. There was a total of 82 percent respondents. These respondents were parents of children with down syndrome enrolled at four different special schools under the Division of City Schools-Manila, namely: P. Burgos Elementary School, P. Gomez Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School and Sta. Ana Elementary School. The respondents were administered a validated researcher-made questionnaire. The results showed that the extent of physical, financial, emotional and marital stresses these mothers experienced ranged from very small to small. The coping mechanisms the parents commonly used were learning more about down syndrome, talking to friends, counseling and listening to music. The coping mechanisms perceived to be most effective were learning more about down syndrome attending seminars, conferences and parents forum on down syndrome talking to friends and listening to music