Mothers Parenting a Child With Intellectual Disability in Urban India: An Application of the Stress and Resilience Framework

We examined relevance of the key constructs of the stress and resilience framework in the urban Indian context. Analyses of interviews with urban Indian mothers (N = 47) of a 3-6 year old child with intellectual disability generated themes on maternal appraisals of the child's disability, perceived stressors, and resources. Mothers seemed to utilize a combination of fact-based and religious explanation to make sense of their child's disability. Parental stressors ranged from child-related factors (diagnosis, behavioral problems) to financial and family-level challenges. However, participants also reported a number of personal, family-level, and societal resources that helped them cope with the stressors. Study findings are discussed in the context of implications for practice, policy, and research.