Parental Stress in Families with Children with Early Intervention Needs linked to Socio-Environmental Vulnerability

Background and objective. Environmental risk factors are associated with a lower capacity to cope with parenting, generating greater stress in the education of children. When faced with social risk factors, mothers of children with special educational needs tend to be more vulnerable to stress. The main aim of this study was to analyse variables associated to the stress perceived by parents of children with early care needs (socio-environmental vulnerability and child?s diagnosis). Method. Four hundred and six parents (233 mothers and 173 fathers) of 239 children with early care (EC) and education needs collaborated in this research. Results. Situations of environmental vulnerability caused high levels of stress in the parents. The experience of stressful events during pregnancy conditioned the later maternal anxiety. A significant positive linear correlation was found between the results achieved in the Overprotective educational style and parental stress. Conclusions. Most interventions in Early Childhood Care and Development Centres focus on the needs of children, leaving parents out of the clinical intervention. This approach should be shifting towards a family-centred model, which will work more effectively and improve the quality of life of the family.