Równowaga systemu rodzinnego i satysfakcja z życia a dobrobyt i style radzenia sobie ze stresem matek dzieci z niepełnosprawnością

A critical situation that parents of children with disabilities have to deal with often surpasses their adaptive and financial abilities, which is significant for their well-being. The family often fights for keeping the balance, but can often do that in a way that blocks the development of the whole system or individual development of people that belong to it. The aim of research presented in this report is an analysis of functioning of balanced and unbalanced family systems with disabled children. The research included the perception and life situation of mothers, who out of all family members are the most prone to experiencing raised stress levels and exhaustion as the ones taking direct care of a disabled child. The participants of the study were mothers (n = 70, age: M = 41,5; SD = 8), children and teenagers with disability. The method used in the study was interview with the use of custom survey and questionnaire methods: Family Rating Scales (Margasiński, 2013) – Polish adaptation of Olson’s FACES IV scale and Endler and Parker’s Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (in Polish adaptation CISS; Strelau et al., 2005). The analyses also included the specifics of each child’s disability (level of disability, level of the child’s independence, requirements related to rehabilitation treatments). The results of own research suggest that mothers from balanced families in comparison to women from unbalanced families rate their systems as more coherent and flexible, more often use a task oriented stress coping strategy, have higher income and are more happy with their financial and living conditions. However, the profile of a “healthy” family is closer to a coherent-rigid one that to a fully balanced system type.