Relationship between affiliate stigma, stress and perceived quality of life among parents of children with Down syndrome

Chu, Shin Ying, Lee, Jaehoon, Binti Zamsyari, Dini Sofea, Gan, Chun Hong, Woi, Pui Juan, Chong, Agnes Shu Sze, Garraffa, Maria and Lin, Ling-Yi (2025) Relationship between affiliate stigma, stress and perceived quality of life among parents of children with Down syndrome. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 38 (4). ISSN 1360-2322

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Abstract

Background: To examine the relationship between affiliate stigma, stress and perceived quality of life amongst parents of children with Down syndrome (DS). Method: Seventy-eight parents of children with DS completed the Affiliate Stigma Scale (ASS), Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and Care-related Quality of Life (CarerQol) scales. Results: Pearson correlations revealed that parents did not feel stigmatised for having a child with DS (M = 30.51, SD = 10.47) and reported a low caregiver burden (CBI Total M = 19.73, SD = 12.72). The relatively lower caregiving burden, challenges and future barriers in the DS group explained its lesser stigma, higher quality of life and greater happiness compared to the ASD and CP groups. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals who provide rehabilitation services to children with DS need to be more aware of the needs of families and caregivers and educated about how to best support them.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Funding: This work was supported by British Council UK-Malaysia Going Global Partnerships (Grant No. NN2024-012 registered at UKM).
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Mental Health and Social Care (fka Lifespan Health)
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	20 Aug 2025 14:30
Last Modified:	24 Aug 2025 06:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100175
DOI:	10.1111/jar.70099

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