Helping Parents Cope with Children's Disabilities

 by: News Canada

(NC)-Parents of children with disabilities face extra demands on their time, energy and resources. Most cope well, despite the fact that increased stress takes a physical and emotional toll. Why do some parents cope better than others? Dr. Peter Rosenbaum, Dr. Parminder Raina and their team at McMaster University are studying 650 parents of children with varying degrees of cerebral palsy to determine how a wide range of factors in the parents, the child, the family and the social environment influence parents' well-being and health. This research should help health professionals working with families in such situations.

Their research is being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR is Canada's preeminent health research catalyst and is funded by the government of Canada. An exciting new concept, CIHR is modernizing and transforming the health research enterprise in Canada.

To learn more about CIHR please visit: www.cihr.ca, e-mail: info@ cihr.ca or write to: CIHR, 410 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa ON K1A 0W9.