fahime bahonar; mahya sanieemanesh; mahnaz kahrizeh
Abstract
Parents with disabled children are at the forefront of caring for their children. This research was conducted to analyze the challenges of couples with a teenage child with intellectual disabilities. In the current research, a qualitative method of interpretive phenomenology was used. The population ...
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Parents with disabled children are at the forefront of caring for their children. This research was conducted to analyze the challenges of couples with a teenage child with intellectual disabilities. In the current research, a qualitative method of interpretive phenomenology was used. The population included couples with adolescent children with intellectual disabilities in Tehran in 2021. The participants were selected through the purposive sampling method; 15 couples underwent semi-structured interviews until data saturation emerged. To analyze the data, the Colaizzi Method was used. The result of data analysis led to the identification of 27 initial codes, five axial codes, and two selective codes. The first selective theme, intra-family process challenges, was identified with the sub-theme of the couple’s behavior towards each other, the couple’s behavior towards the intellectual child, and the children’s behaviors with each other. The second selective theme was extra-family process challenges including social and economic problems. In general, it can be concluded that having a mentally intellectual child affects the functioning of the family, especially couples. Considering the importance of investigating marital challenges in different physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions and their other effects on the lives of parents of teenagers with disabilities, the findings of this research can be used to develop and strengthen counseling and support services for couples with disabled children.
