Lack of empathy and higher expectations for children with developmental disabilities increase the risk of abuse and neglect from parents, a new research shows.
Researchers at Saint Louis University recruited a group of 67 parents from different races, educational and economic backgrounds. All of these parents had a child or children with disabilities.
"We already know that children with delayed or developmental problems are at 1.7 times greater risk for abuse than children without disabilities," said lead study author Debra Zand, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at SLU and the lead study author, in a press release. "In this study, we wanted to investigate areas of a parent's behavior or reaction that might increase this risk."
The study findings showed that most of the parents expected more and empathized less with their children with developmental disabilities compared to those with children without any medical condition. The research also noted the parent's attitudes about punishment, perceived parent-child roles and how much freedom they gave their children.
"We found that parents have higher expectations from their children, which may result asking them to achieve at a much higher standard than they are capable," said Zand. "We also saw that parents don't empathize toward their child's needs as much as parents of typically developing children, which suggests that, these parents may not understand the needs or feelings of their children."
According to the researchers, most of the parents felt stressed and frustrated when the children were unable to meet their expectations. This in turn resulted in higher risk of abusive behavior against the child.
The findings echo what health experts have been saying till now - appropriate bonding experiences between family and caretakers with children who have developmental disorders plays an important role. Zand said that while pushing children out of their comfort zone is encouraged, a recognizable limit should also be acknowledged.
The study was published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.
