Influence of selected child characteristics on stress in families of handicapped infants.

Parents of 31 handicapped infants were interviewed to determine the extent to which specific kinds of behavior and characteristics of the child were related to the stress reported by mothers. Five characteristics were examined: rate of child progress, responsiveness, temperament, repetitive behavior patterns, and the presence of additional or unusual caregiving demands. All characteristics except rate of progress were significantly related to the amount of stress reported. The only demographic characteristic associated with the amount of stress reported was the number of parents in the home. Single mothers reported more stress than mothers in intact homes.