Abstract

Objective: To understand the effect of COVID-19 on parents of children with determination/Special Needs. Method: A questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was developed by a team of psychologists at Kidsheart Medical Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE, to assess and evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on parents of children with determination. The questionnaire was circulated using social media platforms across the world and a total of 44 individuals responded. Majority of the respondents were, however, residents of the UAE. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to run factor analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Regardless of the diagnoses, gender of the child, age of diagnosis, type of the school the child attends, parents’ gender, age of parents, age of the child, marital status, number of special children in the family, parents of children with determination invariably experienced significant levels of stress during COVID -19. Among various types of strategies to mitigate the level of stress experienced by the parents, they found engaging in activities with their children as the most effective. Conclusion: Parents of children were already experiencing high levels of stress due to the increased needs of their child. COVID-19 has exacerbated the level of stress further as identified in this research. It is therefore important that not only at the Government level but also at a societal level, these parents should be provided with all the necessary support to help alleviate their level stress.