Health Research Involvement in Special Olympics and Its Relations to Maternal and Paternal Stress Jonathan A. Weiss, Terry Diamond, & April Sullivan York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Contact: jweiss1@yorku.ca Abstract: The present study examines the relations among components of Special Olympics and parent child related stress. Participants consisted of 97 individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and their parents. Lower levels of parent stress was linked to an increase in child involvement in Special Olympics. This relation was mediated by a greater child self-concept and social competence.       < Download summary poster presented at the AAMR annual meeting 1-4 June 2004; Adobe PDF, 1.1MB > Introduction Study Method Participants 97 Special Olympics athletes(64 males and 33 females) Age range: 9 to 43 years (M = 24.9, SD = 8.6) IQs range: 40 to 90 (M = 53.9, SD =12.7) 90 mothers and 56 fathers Age range: 27 - 76 years (M = 53, SD = 9.9) Measures Parent Child-related Stress: Parenting Stress Index, 3rd Ed. (PSI:3; Abidin,1995). Athlete involvement: Demographic questionnaire (e.g., age, number of competitions, years, etc...). IQ: Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990). General Self-Worth: Perceived Competence Scale for Special Athletes (PCS; Riggen & Ulrich,1993). Social Competence: The Adaptive Behavior Scales- RC2 (ABS; Nihira, et al., 1993). Procedure Participants' self-concepts and IQ were assessed in individual interviews using the PCS and K-BIT. Parents rated participants' competence by completing the ABS. Mothers and fathers each completed a PSI:3. Parents of individuals with ID experience more stress than parents of non-ID children. Parental stress has been associated with the severity of the disability, behavior problems, and social support. At the same time, different factors have been found to correlate with paternal and maternal stress (i.e., quality of the family environment for fathers, and locus of professional control for mothers). Special Olympics is a physical activity program for individuals with ID that can offer a social support network to athletes and families. The number of competitions athletes experience has been shown to predict their actual social competence and general self-concept (Weiss, et al., 2003). Using a mediational model, this study examined the relations among athlete competition, social competence, self-worth, and parental stress. Discussion After taking into account age and IQ, the more competitions an athlete participates in, the less mothers and fathers feel child-related stress. Most of the contribution comes from local level competition… it happens in your backyard! The competition-stress relation is mediated by the child's actual social competence and their feeling of general self-worth. The results suggest that the more competitions an athlete participates in, the better their social skills and general self-worth, and the less their parents feel stress related to their child. These findings are the first to empirically link athlete involvement in Special Olympics to parent well-being. Conclusion Increased competition equals increased self-worth plus increased social skills, equals decreased parent stress. Parent enjoyment at competitions: "I enjoy going to the Special Olympic competitions at the provincial levels as you meet many others experiencing the same as you. It is very exciting and very rewarding being a part of Special Olympics. It has certainly been a positive experience in my son's life." Meaghan O'Halloran, Special Olympics Ireland athlete, poses with her proud parents, Pauline and Dave, while on a break at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. O'Halloran competed in gymnastics and won and one gold and two bronze Medals. [Photo by Robbie Reynolds, IRELAND OUT] "We have enjoyed all of our dealings with Special Olympics. A lot of work goes into planning all these events and it certainly shows. We as parents enjoy attending as much as K enjoys participating. The coaches and athletes are a wonderful group of people..." Family unity, bonding, & support: "Special Olympics is a great organization that brings families and children together. Showing there is something out there for our children to work at their individual pace. There is support for parents and wonderful bonding and understanding." "I am grateful that P has a safe and accepting environment to practice sports as a full member of a team. These activities are his 'thing,' like other members of the family have their own. His successes are many, especially when he qualifies for a tournament or the Regionals. What a boost to his self-image! What pleasure it is for us to see him enjoy those successes!"    < Return to Health Research Home page >