Mother and son ratings of parent behaviours on the dimensions of loving, demanding and punishing, using the Bronfenbrenner Parent Behaviour Questionnaire, were compared for juvenile delinquents from two-parent and single-parent homes respectively. Mean rating for all variables were in the average range, and little difference in ratings of mothers' behaviours was found, for either boys or mothers, between the single-parent and two-parent groups. These findings are in contrast to the frequently suggested link between delinquency and disturbed family interactions.
Six mothers of visually impaired children participated in semi-structured interviews. Three dominant themes emerged: 1) emotional issues, particularly surrounding the period of diagnoses; 2) coping strategies, which included the mother's personality, the child's attitude, and the use of support networks; 3) problems and concerns about relationships with professionals, the child's education, people's attitudes, and the amount of time involved in parenting. These themes are discussed in depth and compared with the studies of parenting children with other types of disabilities. The need for further research is explored.
Adolescence is a difficult time in the life of any youth. In the hearing-impaired child it can be an especially stressful period. The mother, who in many families is the primary care giver, has probably put more of her time and energy into helping the child than any other individual. Familiarity with the thoughts and feelings of the mothers, then, should contribute to our understanding of the hearing-impaired adolescent. Yet, few studies have examined the experiences of mothers during this stage. In this study, five hearing mothers of hearing-impaired adolescents were interviewed on their experiences in rearing a hearing-impaired child. The information culled from these interviews and the subsequent analysis should help fill the void of knowledge on this aspect of the hearing-impaired child. Using qualitative analysis of the mothers' experiences the researchers identified six major themes from the data collected in the interviews: (1) the mothers' personal growth, (2) the mother-child relationship, (3) parent-professional relationships, (4) concerns about educational programming, (5) the importance of fluent communications, and (6) support systems available to the mothers. Suggestions are made for parents and to help improve parent-professional relationships and the programs that serve the hearing impaired and their families. Areas for further research on the subject of rearing hearing-impaired adolescents are identified.
