SPECIFICITY OF INFLUENCE OF CHILDREN WITH COMPLEX DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS ON MARRIAGE RELATIONS IN THEIR FAMILIES

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to highlight the results of a study of the impact of children withcomplex developmental disorders on the marital relationship of their parents.Methods. To achieve this goal and solve problems, the following psychodiagnostic tools were used:the scale “Marital Relations” according to the method “Incomplete sentences” and the scale of perceptionof self, marriage partner and other men and women according to the Semantic Differential of C. Osgood. TheMann-Whitney test was used to verify the reliability of the obtained data.Results. The study of marital relationships was conducted with 288 parents with children with complexdevelopmental disorders (among them 152 raising children with complex speech and mental retardationand 136 parents of children with musculoskeletal disorders and oligophrenia), who formed the main group,and 184 parents of children without disabilities, who acted as a control group. According to the analysisof the research results, the following general characteristics can be distinguished: − marital relations in families with children with complex developmental disorders are less harmonious,less favorable, with a complicated intimate life and more tense compared to families raising children withoutdevelopmental disabilities. Mothers of children with musculoskeletal disorders and oligophrenia showa particularly negative attitude towards marital relations, although their husbands consider them to be strongand active individuals;− self-esteem of mothers of children with complex developmental disorders is not homogeneous:underestimated - in those who raise a child with musculoskeletal disorders and oligophrenia and adequate - inwomen who have a child with complex speech defects and mental retardation;− men who raise children with complex developmental disorders also have low self-esteem, are notpurposeful and less active than parents of children with normative development;− mothers and fathers explain their unrealized plans by failed marital and family relationships and theirchild’s shortcomings.Conclusions. The appearance in the family of a child with complex developmental disorders mainlyhas a negative effect on the marital relationship of parents, changing the perceptions of the couple aboutthe environment, about themselves, each other and affects the relationship between them.