Peer-reviewed article
How Do Parents Experience Overnight Respite? Parent-Reported Outcomes in Families of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Mire SS, Carter EW, Tomek S, Hollinger C, Eshman SR et al. ·
Summary
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Abstract
Background Overnight respite care can be a lifeline for parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We explored the multifaceted parent-reported outcomes of respite and potential demographic variations related to this broad impact. Method Parents (n = 178) reported respite effects on their personal well-being, spousal relationships, family relationships, spiritual needs and ability to complete other activities, which correspond to five subscales of the novel Respite Impact Survey. Results Most parents agreed/strongly agreed with 22 of 23 items, particularly related to rest, recharge and relationships. Univariate ANOVAs revealed differences with small-to-moderate effect sizes based on child sex (η2 = 0.03, 0.05), parent age (η2 = 0.07, 0.13) and parent education level (η2 = 0.06). Conclusion Parents endorsed many benefits of overnight respite, with few differentiating effects observed within this sample. However, participants represented a relatively homogeneous and comparatively affluent group of parents connected to a single respite provider. Future research should include more racially and socioeconomically diverse samples to better understand how respite experiences may vary across families.