Relationship Between Social Support and Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities Compared to Parents of Normal Children

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between social support and quality of life in Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities compared to parents of normal children in Pune, India. Parenting a child with intellectual disability involves psychological, social, and economic challenges, often leading to lower quality of life. In contrast, parents of typically developing children experience fewer such stressors. Social support plays a crucial role in enhancing caregivers’ well-being and mitigating stress. The study used a comparative design with 60 participants—30 parents of children with intellectual disability and 30 parents of normal children—selected through purposive sampling from special and regular schools. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988) and WHOQUALITY OF LIFE-BREF (1998) were used for data collection. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, t-tests, and multiple regression. Findings showed that parents of children with intellectual disability had significantly lower quality of life. Social support was positively correlated with quality of life in both groups, with a stronger effect observed in the intellectual disability group. Regression results indicated that social support predicted 43% of the variance in the intellectual disability group and 34% in the normal group, confirming its critical role in caregiver well-being. These findings highlight the importance of building strong support systems for parents, particularly those caring for children with intellectual disabilities.