THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN CENTRAL SERBIA AND KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN CENTRAL SERBIA AND KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

Summary/Abstract: Parenting brings many challenges, especially if there is a child with developmental disabilities in the family. With this in mind, we designed a study aimed at examining the differences in the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among parents of children with and without developmental disabilities who live in Kosovo and Metohija and central Serbia. The study involved 215 families, 108 families from Kosovo and Metohija (53 families are families with children with disabilities, while 55 families have children without developmental disabilities) and 107 families (51 families are families with children with some form of developmental disability, while 56 families have children without developmental disabilities) from central Serbia. Both parents completed the DASS-21 scale. For data analysis we used the Paired Samples t-Test and two-factor multivariate analysis of variance. The results indicate that mothers generally show higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than fathers. In addition, the results show that parents of children with disabilities living in central Serbia show higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than parents of children with disabilities in Kosovo and Metohija. Regarding the differences between parents with/without a child with developmental disabilities, the results indicate that fathers of children with developmental disabilities who live in the area of Kosovo and Metohija show lower levels of depression and anxiety compared to fathers of children with developmental disabilities who live in central Serbia; while fathers of children who do not have developmental disabilities show the same level of depression and anxiety, regardless of their place of residence. The results also show that fathers living in central Serbia are generally more stressed than fathers living in Kosovo and Metohija. On the other hand, mothers of children with developmental disabilities who live in the area of Kosovo and Metohija show a lower level of depression and stress compared to mothers of children with developmental disabilities who live in central Serbia; while mothers of children who do not have developmental disabilities show the same level of depression and stress regardless of their place of residence. In addition, mothers living in central Serbia show a higher level of anxiety compared to mothers living in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. The obtained findings only partly confirm the set hypothesis.

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