Parents' reactions after the birth of a developmentally disabled child

Thirty families with a developmentally disabled child less than 1.5 years old were compared to 30 families with a nonhandicapped child. One-half of the families lived in California, and half lived in Denmark. Findings indicated that parents with a very young developmentally disabled child see themselves more negatively after the baby's birth, and they express more negative feelings about their child. Regarding Danish--American differences, the supportive services in Denmark did not have a significantly greater impact on the parents' adjustment than did the supports in the United States. Furthermore, the use of supportive services correlated with positive adjustment in some areas and negative adjustment in others.