Parent Need and Impact on Family for Parents whose Children have Special Healthcare Needs

Statement of the Problem: Parenting a child with special healthcare needs adds to the everyday parenting challenges as parents become caregivers. When providing care for a child with special healthcare needs often the increasing needs of parents are overlooked. Unmet parental needs may lead to stress, anxiety, and depression.
Purpose: To examine the relationship among a child’s special healthcare need, parent need, and family impact; and to identify attributes that mitigate parent risk and maladaptive behaviors.
Subjects: A convenience sample of 33 parents/guardians of children enrolled in a mid-Atlantic coordinated health service plan has been identified, invited and signed consents. Each parent/guardian had at least one child with special healthcare needs. HSCSN is a Washington, DC Medicaid health plan exclusively for children and young adults with special healthcare needs.