Shakeel A, Johar A.
Parents’ perspective on child’s intellectual disability: a case study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Pakistan.
Int J Rehab Sci Jan ;03(02):31-8.

Intellectual disability is a condition which affects social and intellectual functioning of individual in a society. To explore such effects on the family, the following objectives were devised in this study as: Objectives: To explore the views and experiences of parents about their child with intellectual disability in joint and nuclear family structure and To know the efficacy of services rendered by different Government-run-centers in reducing the miseries of parents. Methods: This is a qualitative study in which 12 parents for In-depth Interviews (6 from nuclear and 6 from joint family) and 28 parents for 4 Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were selected purposively from the official list of 3 Centers (see table I and II). Furthermore, In charge of each centre (3 In charges) were also interviewed. Before the interview, respondents were debriefed about the purpose of the study. Their responses were recorded and transcribed after their consent. Results: It was found that parents belonging to nuclear family structure face various problems like social exclusion, strained spousal relation and extra fatigue for working mothers due to their full time involvement with their child (REN) with intellectual disability. However, parents in joint family were relaxed due to family support in child care & house hold activities. Conclusion: Institutional and family support to parents in child care can reduce extra burden of child care and make them socially included.

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