Accentuate the positive to mitigate the negative: Mother psychological coping resources and family adjustment in childhood disability

Abstract

Background Mothers’ cognitive appraisal of the family impact of childhood disability and their positive affect as a psychological coping resource, both key elements of the process model of stress and coping, were tested as explanatory variables of family adjustment.

Method In a sample of Canadian families, 195 mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disability completed telephone interviews.

Results In regression modelling, 35% of the variance in family adjustment was explained by mothers’ positive cognitive appraisal of family impacts of childhood disability and by their positivity (ratio of positive to negative affect). After controlling for positivity, negative cognitive appraisal of family impacts of childhood disability was non-significant.

Conclusions Family adjustment to childhood disability is associated with elements of strength in mothers’ psychological coping; namely, their ability to perceive positive family consequences of childhood disability and to maintain higher proportions of positive emotion in their daily activities. The findings of this study provide support for the broaden-and-build theory to explain the role of positivity in mothers’ coping and adjustment to childhood disability.

Keywords:

• developmental disability
• cognitive appraisal
• emotion regulation
• family adjustment