STRESS APPRAISAL AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF CHINESE MOTHERS OF ADULT CHILDREN WITH MENTAL-RETARDATION

Thirty Chinese mothers of adult children with moderate to severe menta l retardation were interviewed to explore the source and nature of the ir stress and social support. Results revealed child-related and paren t-related stress specific to these mothers. The most common stressors were future planning and behavior problems of the target offspring. Mo thers received tangible, emotional, and informational support mainly f rom family members and training center staff. Some evidence was also f ound for the optimal-matching model of stress appraisal and social sup port. Regardless of the duration of stress, all forms of support were perceived as equally useful for uncontrollable stress, whereas tangibl e support was regarded as more useful than informational support for c ontrollable stress.