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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
07:56
Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Perceived Relational Harm Across Children's Disability Constellations in Parent-Professional Interactions
Sabrina Fuths1, Rebekka Daubert1, Christian Walter-Klose2
1Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Child: Care, Health and Development
|July 8, 2026
Summary
Relational harm is common for parents of children with disabilities, with 86.8% experiencing dismissive or blaming interactions. These negative experiences impact trust and well-being, affecting children's support.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Health Services Research
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Parents of children with disabilities frequently encounter healthcare, education, and social services.
- These interactions are often perceived as dismissive, blaming, or controlling by parents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the prevalence, accumulation, social patterning, and qualitative aspects of relational harm in parent-professional interactions.
- To assess four key indicators of relational harm: not being taken seriously, ability negation, blame attribution, and autonomy constraint.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods study utilizing a nationwide survey of 645 parents in Germany.
- Quantitative analysis of relational harm indicators and logistic regression.
- Qualitative analysis of recurring domains of relational harm.
Main Results:
- Relational harm is widespread (86.8%) and cumulative, with 'not being taken seriously' being the most frequent experience (79.5%).
- Parents of children with psychosocial disabilities and those with higher support intensity reported significantly higher rates of relational harm.
- Qualitative findings revealed epistemic marginalization, normative evaluation, and autonomy constraints as key domains of harm.
Conclusions:
- Relational quality is crucial in professional practice for families of children with disabilities.
- Experiences of relational harm can erode trust, service engagement, and parental well-being, potentially impacting children's outcomes.
- Addressing relational harm is essential for improving support systems for these families.
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