Being a parent of a child with a disability brings with it special burdens, e.g. extraordinary caregiving responsibilities, which can have a negative impact on other areas of life and the well-being of parents in general. The aim of this study is to examine the differences in various aspects of well-being and social support between parents who are employed in addition to having caregiving responsibilities, unemployed parents, and parents who are formal caregivers (they receive financial support to care for their child). The online survey included 165 unemployed parents, 467 employed parents (273 full-time and 194 part-time), and 182 formal caregivers. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) showed that both full-time and part-time employed parents had higher levels of life satisfaction, global health, and social support than unemployed parents, when controlled for the child’s level of disability and the parents’ level of education. Formal caregivers and unemployed parents did not differ significantly in the variables of well-being or social support. Our results suggest that a social measure introduced in Croatia to facilitate parents of children with disabilities to work have a positive impact on parental well-being, and that social support from society for unemployed parents and formal caregivers needs to be improved.

The aim of this study was to determine the separate and joint contribution of individual, family, occupational, and social factors in explaining the life satisfaction of working mothers of children with developmental disabilities. Working mothers of children with disabilities participated in this study (N = 508). They completed an online questionnaire to measure factors from personal (optimism and personal strength), family (satisfaction with family finances, parental stress, number of children, and support from family members related to work), work (job demands, control, and support) and society domain (satisfaction with the healthcare, educational and welfare system). All of them were employed (at least part-time) but also, they all had at least one child with disabilities under 19 years of age whose degree of disability was officially determined. Regression analysis indicated that factors from personal, family (satisfaction with family finances, parental stress, and support from family members related to work), and societal domain (satisfaction with the healthcare system) predicted mothers’ life satisfaction. Work-related variables did not. A comprehensive approach is very useful in studying the well-being of parents of children with disabilities. Future studies should also include fathers, as it is reasonable to assume that mothers and fathers differ in the influence of certain factors on their well-being. Considering the sample size and bias, these results have significant limitations in terms of generalizability.

Roditelji djece s teškoćama u razvoju suočavaju se s brojnim izazovima i stresorima koji se mogu negativno odraziti na njihovu dobrobit. Jedna od relativno zanemarenih tema, osobito u nacionalnim okvirima, jest otežana mogućnost usklađivanja zahtjeva radne i obiteljske uloge te skupine roditelja. Stoga je cilj ovog rada bio dobiti dublji uvid u čimbenike koji imaju potencijalno važnu ulogu u objašnjenju dobrobiti zaposlenih roditelja djece s teškoćama u razvoju u RH; preciznije, identificirati čimbenike koji promoviraju i/ili ometaju usklađivanje radnog i obiteljskog života te skupine roditelja. U istraživanju temeljenom na dubinskim intervjuima sudjelovalo je ukupno 25 zaposlenih roditelja (15 majki i 10 očeva) djece s različitim vrstama i stupnjevima teškoća u razvoju. Većina sudionika (N=23) ima jedno dijete, dok dvoje sudionika ima dvoje djece s objektivno dijagnosticiranim teškoćama u razvoju. Većina sudionika (N=21) provedenog istraživanja zaposlena je na puno radno vrijeme. Podatci su analizirani tematskom analizom. Rezultati su ukazali na četiri skupine čimbenika: društvene, organizacijske, obiteljske i osobne, koji, iz perspektive sudionika istraživanja, olakšavaju i/ili otežavaju usklađivanje radne i obiteljske uloge. S obzirom na to da je dobrobit roditelja djece s teškoćama u razvoju snažno oblikovana specifičnim društvenim kontekstom, što otežava poopćavanje rezultata te tematike dobivene u različitim zemljama, rezultati istraživanja provedenog u RH imaju važan teorijski doprinos. Identifikacija i opis relevantnih čimbenika koji omogućuju usklađivanje radne i obiteljske uloge te tako oblikuju dobrobit te skupine roditelja pružaju snažno polazište za kvantitativna istraživanja u tom području. Uz spomenuto rad pruža niz praktičnih implikacija usmjerenih unapređenju dobrobiti te skupine roditelja.

Walking difficulties in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are one of the most pronounced predictors affecting patients’ quality of life. The study objective was to determine the psychometric pr...

The aim of this study was to verify the applicability of the Test of Moral Reasoning (TMR) in the selection of job applicants and to see how it correlated with education, intelligence, and the “big five” personality traits. The study included 210 participants (132 women and 78 men) who applied for various positions in the banking sector. Our findings have confirmed the applicability of TMR for recruitment because they showed that TMR did not allow the candidates to fake their responses. Furthermore, they have confirmed Kohlberg's views that general intelligence and education are the main determinants of moral development (positive correlation), whereas tendency towards socially desirable responding showed a negative correlation.

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati stavove prema djeci s teškoćama u razvoju te razlike u pojedinim aspektima stava (socijalna distanca, osjećanje i ponašanje u blizini djeteta s teškoćama u razvoju) s obzirom na sociodemografske karakteristike sudionika, iskustvo u kontaktu s djecom s teškoćama te razinu znanja o problematici. Istraživanje je provedeno na reprezentativnom uzorku punoljetnih građana RH (N=600) metodom telefonskog anketiranja. Građani RH imaju izrazito pozitivne stavove prema djeci s teškoćama: 86% sudionika se osjeća donekle ili potpuno ugodno u njihovoj blizini, 93% ostvaruje kontakt pri konkretnom susretu, a 70% ih izjavljuje da nema nikakvu socijalnu distancu prema djeci s teškoćama. Žene se, u odnosu na muškarce, osjećaju ugodnije u njihovoj blizini. Osobe nižeg obrazovanja i starije dobi izražavaju veću socijalnu distancu, ali stariji sudionici pri kontaktu otvorenije pristupaju djeci s teškoćama. Znanje se pokazalo važnom odrednicom stava prema djeci s teškoćama u razvoju, pri čemu sudionici s najmanje znanja imaju najizraženiju socijalnu distancu, doživljavaju najveću razinu neugode pri susretu s djecom s teškoćama te rjeđe ulaze u kontakt ili ga iniciraju. Poznavanje djeteta s teškoćom pozitivno se odrazilo na afektivnu i ponašajnu komponentu stava. Nalazi ovog istraživanja upućuju na prihvaćanje djece s teškoćama u razvoju u našem društvu te ističu ulogu znanja i kontakta u borbi protiv stigmatizacije ranjivih skupina.