Family Self-Care Pattern in Families with Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Family Health
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Family self-care is integral to health promotion and protection.
• In families with children with intellectual disabilities, family self-care is crucial due to the child's potential lack of self-care abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore factors influencing family self-care.
• To define cognitive, psychosocial, physical, and behavioral domains of family self-care in families with children with intellectual disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive and correlational pilot study.
• Involved forty-four families.
• Utilized exploratory and linear regression analyses, assessing Gauss-Markov theorem assumptions and multicollinearity.

Main Results:

• Key influencing factors included family income, education, child's dependence, household size, and social support.
• Socioeconomic, demographic, and health factors significantly shaped self-care experiences.
• Higher perceived impact of disability correlated with lower family empowerment.

Conclusions:

• Family empowerment and the impact of disability are critical for enabling self-care.
• Self-care activities may be more reactive than proactive, focusing on immediate challenges.
• Findings support a holistic, family-centered approach for healthcare professionals, particularly family nurses.