Parents of Children with Chronic Disabilities: The Gratification of Caregiving

A sample of 167 parents of children with a mental illness or physical disability participated in the study. Parents reported receiving gratification from fulfilling their parental duties and from learning about themselves. The child's and parent's personal characteristics were significant predictors of gratification. Physical disability and younger age of the child were associated with higher level of gratification, as were the younger age of the parent, unemployment, and parental poor health. When parents perceived caregiving as causing less emotional strain (low subjective burden), they were more likely to express gratification. The amount of assistance that the parent gave the child (objective burden) did not have a unique contribution to parental gratification.