Parents caring for young adults with severe physical disabilities: psychological issues.

The authors studied the psychological aspects for parents of caring for a young adult with severe physical disabilities. Mothers reported significantly more caregiving stress than fathers; a major factor was the persistent limitations in their personal life opportunities and choices at a time when most parents experience freedom from caregiving responsibilities. Contrary to the assumptions of health-care professionals, the parents indicated that they were more anxious than depressed about their future options and their child's quality of care and future living circumstances. There was no major psychopathology and a review of high scores on the scale of Psychoticism and Paranoia indicated that the parents' responses were a reflection of realistic isolation and lack of trust in professional and agency-based relationships.