THE INFLUENCE OF DISABLING CONDITION VISIBILITY ON FAMILY FUNCTIONING

Examined whether the level of family functioning and the components co ntributing to adaptive family functioning differed in families of visi bly handicapped children (cerebral palsy) when compared to families of nonvisibly disabled children (diabetes). Other factors included effec t of disability severity on family functioning, comparison of families of disabled children to families of able-bodied children, and compari son of mothers' and fathers' perceptions of family functioning. The sa mple comprised 139 two-parent families of children with cerebral palsy (n = 48), diabetes (n = 46), and able-bodied children (n = 45) (all 5 -11 years old). Results showed that neither visibility nor severity of disability differentially impacted family functioning. Furthermore, f amilies of the disabled children exhibited high levels of family funct ioning which were similar to control families. Differences were not fo und between the ways mothers and fathers perceived family functioning.