Spina Bifida Children and Their Parents: A Population Prone to Family Dysfunction?

Spina bifida children of normal intelligence and their parents were compared with a carefully matched control group of nondisabled children and their parents in a hierarchically oriented assessment of individual, marital, and family functioning. Contrary to popular hypotheses that families with a handicapped child are especially vulnerable to stress and psychological problems, results across all measures revealed no differences between the two groups. Further, no differences were found between mothers and fathers on the various measures. These results support the view that nonretarded spina bifida children and their parents have no special psychological characteristics that distinguish them from nonhandicapped children and their parents. The findings also underscore the strengths and coping skills of handicapped children and their families. The tendency of researchers and clinicians to focus on the deviant aspects of these populations may obscure the fact that many may be adapting successfully.